It's The End Of The World As We Know It
by RUMad
Summary: The glee club are still in school, when the end of their world arrives. Good thing Rachel's prepared because the rest of them haven't got a clue what to do. Zombie apocalypse. Eventual Pezberry. M for language
1. The Beginning Of An End

**Prompt from: TrustInFaith**

**Written by RUMad**

**AN: I know, yet another story, I really need to finish some but I wanted to try and write Pezberry :/ with something else I haven't written before, what the hey, tell me if its crap...**

**Posted: 16/1/12**

The beginning of an end

_It's the end of the world as we know it.__  
><em>_It's the end of the world as we know it.__  
><em>_It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine._

As the boys sang their performance, a loud obnoxious cell phone tone rang through the choir room, they girls sat on the risers all glanced at one another before all eyes settled on Rachel. She immediately noticed them staring at her.

She darted for her bag, pulling out her cell phone and was confused to see that it wasn't ringing, yet her bag still was. She then realised what was ringing, it was the _other_ cell phone, the emergency one. It's dull chime sent shivers of worry through her soul, she swallowed loudly before reaching into her bag and taking out the other phone

_It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine_

The singing in the back ground faded away as she clicked the answer button and bought the phone to her head

"Rachel" Mr Schue scolded "No phones in class"

She didn't hear him, she was just anticipating the words the voice had to say on the other end of the line

If people had known what the Berry's were preparing for they would have called them crazy, they would have been even more of social outcasts than they had unrightfully already become.

Rachel knew what was about to happen, she looked into her bag, seeing the object she carried everywhere, an object, that if found on her person would lead to, most likely, her being arrested; but it was there for her protection when this day came

"Hello?" she said down the phone

"Rachel I said no phones" The teacher stepped forward to confiscate the cell phone, but she held a hand out to stop him

"_Rachel, we're sorry honey we are so, so, so sorry, there's not time. We're evacuating who we can, meet us at our bunker, we'll meet you there, we're sorry honey so sorry we have to move now, baby girl we can't hold off any longer"_

"Daddy, what's happening?" the panic in her voice caused everyone to stop what they were doing and turn their attention to the brunette sat in the middle of the room

"_It's as we feared, it's happening, they're coming"_ she heard screaming in the distance on the other end of the phone _"You have to move Rachel, remember what we told you; we'll try and save as many as we can; you do the same. We love you"_

"_Dear, it's time to go; they're here"_ Rachel head her other father in the background, then several loud gunshots and more screaming

"_We have to go, we love you so much Rachel, we're sorry we can't be there for you"_ there was more screaming

"Daddy!" then the line cut out... but why could Rachel still hear screaming?

The group looked to the door, Mr Schue ran over, yanking the door open to see what the commotion was, the school should have been empty seeing as it was after hours, as he reached the door a terrified Miss Pillsbury burst into the room and straight into Mr Schue's arms

"Emma, Emma what's wrong" he held her as she hid her face into his chest

"Everyone get away from the door!" Rachel ordered, they all turned to look at her; more than surprised to see her with a revolver firmly gripped in one hand

"What the hell?" Santana muttered, the rest in a silent confused and slightly concerned shock, Rachel pushed her fellow students to the far side of the room as she approached the door

"Stay there, don't question me?" and due to their confusion, they didn't

The short brunette checked the other side of the door before disappearing into the corridor.

The members of the glee club flinched for every gunshot they heard... then there was silence... they waited for something to happen, the silence making their anxiety grow

"What the hell is going on?" Puck looked to his teacher who was having no luck getting an answer out of the petrified guidance councillor

They all jumped when the door opened again; it was Rachel with a baseball bat in one hand, the revolver in the other and blood splattered on her face "We have to move!"

"No I want an explanation, what the fuck is going on Berry?"

"No time for explanations Santana, we have to get out of her; we'll head through the office, the other way is not a pretty sight"

"I'm not going anywhere till you tell us what's going on" Quinn joined in with the demands

"Rachel, this isn't normal" well done Finn; you're a genius. Rachel just rolled her eyes

"Rachel what's going on; I'm scared" Brittany in her innocent voice asked for the answer

"If I tell you will you all do as I say; it will save your life"

"Yes, just tell us" a nervous Kurt said desperately

"They said my fathers were crazy but they were right"

"What is it!" Puck demanded as they heard movement in the hallway and saw moving shadows on the wall opposite the door through the doors window

"A zombie apocalypse"

**Just a short taster, tell me what you think...**


	2. First encounter not so close

**AN: Heres the next chapter: Thank You! For all the reviews, I posted this and went to bed, when I woke up (way too early) I checked the reviews hoping for maybe 3 or 4 and there was 11 so yeah that was a nice surprise (and 12 for the other new story I posted that night so.. YAY!) and then both stories got a load more so Thank you (even though it was a mixed response, its good to know what people think and I appreciate it (: )**

**I just hope I don't disappoint you all**

**Posted: 20/1/12**

First encounter... not so close

Before anyone could respond to the shocking, unbelievable explanation that Rachel had just uttered the glass in the choir room door smashed by a pale fist

"Quickly, this way" Even though in petrified shock the club managed to hear Rachel and followed her instructions, they went through the small office to the side of the choir room and into a, fortunately empty hallway

They got to the double doors at the end of the corridor, shoving them open; expecting to see the stereo typical Zombie scene from a movie... but it was empty

"Okay, quick now, half with me half with Kurt" she volunteered Kurt and his car since his dad had just given his 'baby' back, even though Mercedes had 'bust the window' years ago, and his father had found his tiara collection; he'd finally earned the car back

"We'll keep a phone connection open, follow closely to my house, don't hesitate about damaging the car, your life is worth more right now"

The group ran closer to the cars, they realised some people would be sitting on each other's laps but that wasn't anything to complain about.

Although what exactly were the glee club running from, they hadn't seen a 'Zombie' yet, they only had one petrified teacher (who was a germaphobe anyway, maybe she just saw some dirt) and they had the most dramatic glee club members word for it... so maybe they were running from nothing

They were so close to the cars when they all their running crazy thoughts were confirmed

It only took one; there it stood, between the glee club and Rachel and Kurt's cars, cloudy eyed, pale skin... and red tracksuit?

"Is that..." Brittany trailed off as the figured stumbled towards them

"Oh my god, its coach Sylvester!" Quinn exclaimed, the glee club froze to the spot

Rachel stepped forward, tucking the revolver into the back of waist band of her skirt and swung that bat onto her shoulder gripping it tightly with both hands

"Some of you may wish to look away now"

Mercedes tucked her head into Sam, Tina into Mike and Kurt into Blaine, Finn shut his eyes but kept peeping with one. Brittany curled up into Santana while Quinn rubbed her back as Rachel sauntered forward confidently; she lined that bat up as Sue stumbled forward, the tall zombiefied woman, scarier than usual, towered over the short diva.

She swung that bat and in one attempt shattered Sue's skull, brain matter and blood splattering across the car park and some on Rachel. She turned back to the spectators as the body behind her hit the ground "Move!" one easy command and they were moving again, even if slightly traumatised

...

As they drove through the streets, a cell phone keeping them connected with the other car, they were more than a little nervous... the streets were deserted, no zombies, no people, not even any animals. Just abandoned cars, a few with their alarms blaring, houses with doors open, again some had their security alarms whistling through the dead streets

"It's like we've been abandoned" Quinn said, she sat in the back, squished with Finn, Tina and Mike; Santana sat in the front with Brittany on her lap. In the very back of the car, on the additional two passenger seats sat Will, still trying to comfort Emma.

"If they were lucky enough to be evacuated" Rachel added "Sorry to be so glum"

"At least you have a clue what's going on here" Santana mumbled "Thank you for getting us out of there" was Santana Lopez saying thank you!

"We're nearly back at mine, Kurt?"

"_Yeah!" _

"When we get to my house, park on the grass, I need the driveway free for when we leave again" she quickly and partially explained

"_Okay"_ he sounded nervous, could you blame him, he had people's lives relying on him, and his ability to simply drive, right now

...

Once they were in Rachel's home, she took them to the basement, there she opened a highly secured trap door which took them lower "Sam, Puck; can you help Artie" she gestured to the long winding stair case that started by their feet

"Thank you" he said to them as they carefully carried him down

They all eventually made it down into a small bubble somewhere under Rachel's house; the short brunette herself was the last one down

"Okay we can relax now" her own voice sounded calmer already "We're pretty secure down here" she assured them all as they took seats in the small common area; only just enough room for all of them

"How many people was this place designed for?" Artie was being inquisitive

"Enough room for about 20, well there's that many places to sleep, 5 rooms down that corridor, along with two bathrooms, there's also 5 pull out beds in that wall over there"

"They don't look much like zombies" It had been bugging Puck since they saw Sylvester

"They've only just turned. Their minds are infected; so they _are_ dead to us _now-_"

"But I though zombies were supposed to be all fleshy and stuff" Finn added

"They will be, they're infected, they will rot and decay and eventually fall apart, but until then they are our greatest threat"

"So what do we do, wade them out?"

"If we can, then yes. I don't know how big the infection is or how its spreading yet. We can stay here for approximately a week although I don't wish to have to stay here for any longer than two days"

"Why, if it's safe here, why can't we stay here?"

"Well there's only enough supplies for all of us for about a week, and if the infection started here it will only spread, making our escape harder, if there is a denser Zombie population surrounding us"

"What if we got more supplies?"

"Like I said, I'm not sure how the infection is spreading; hopefully it's not air born, it's most likely in a food or water supply"

The glee club members all looked nervously at one another "What if one of us is already infected?" Quinn was still suspiciously and nervously eyeing the others

"Well, I need to know more about the virus itself, but in my father's research they normally take only an hour before you've turned. We've been in each other's company for the past three hours, and as far as I'm aware no one has consumed any water or food in that time. But if I'm wrong... then only time will tell"

"And why aren't we moving now? If the situation outside can only get worse, why don't we try and escape now?"

"Because I don't know what's going on. We need to wait until my father's or any of their associates across the country make contact; hopefully with information on this. Once I know, then I can try and transport us safely to the bunker, there are enough uninfected supplies there for about 50 people for near enough 7 years"

"7 years!" a few exclaimed in unison

"It might take that long" Rachel then turned her attention to Will and Emma as they re-entered the main room "Do you know what she saw?" her tone softened from the abrupt one she used before

Will nodded even though Emma looked like she was still in that petrified state of shock, he left her to sit by herself for just a minute as he moved closer to the glee club and explained quietly "She and Coach Beiste were in the staff room, she was going through some papers and Shannon was just talking to her, then she sort of didn't say much just; teachers came in, then something about Shannon being attacked, and blood, lots of blood"

"She's lucky to have gotten away; they probably tore Coach Beiste apart in front of her" Rachel expressed her thoughts verbally

The rest of the glee club grimaced at the scene the guidance councillor must have seen.

Rachel spent the next hour with the assistance of Puck, organising food and water rations per person for that evening and she quickly mentally organised which room each person would sleep in; hopefully there wouldn't be arguments

"I have appropriate clothes for everyone to change into in the morning; I'll hand them out now" She pulled out a stack of clothes, kept vacuum packed (to save space), they were all different sizes; this miniature base had been set up ready for anyone to use

"Santana, Brittany, Quinn; you three take the first room, furthest down the corridor" Rachel handed them clothes and pointed them in the right direction

"Finn, Puck, Sam; in the next room" again she passed them a change of clothes

"Artie, Kurt and Blaine, the next, Mercedes, Mike and Tina next then Mr Schue and Miss Pillsbury the last room"

They all took their similar change of clothes, and left to their rooms, quiet... not really sure what to say: Rachel was going to be their guardian and yet they'd spent all that time tearing her down

...

"You know S; the end of the world is a perfect time to tell someone you love them" Brittany said, as she sat down on the edge of her cot next to Santana's. Quinn had just walked into small room as this was being said.

"Brittany's right San, you two should be together, everyone already knows you like Brittany, it won't hurt to admit it now"

"What?" Santana looked from Brittany straight to the other blonde who had included herself in this conversation

"It's not me Q, San loves someone and she's scared to tell them" Brittany explained

"You mean you love someone else?" She furrowed her brow in confusion as she sat down next to Brittany "But you two... you know" she said suggestively with a shrug of the shoulders and avoiding eye contact with the other two in the room

"No, we're just friends with benefits" Brittany didn't sound disheartened by her own words "We both want other people" she added a little quieter. Santana was just hiding her face in her hand; it's the end of the world and this is what they were talking about

"Well you should tell both of them" Quinn said encouragingly "Like B said, San, anything could happen, we could die tomorrow, what have you got to lose?"

"I could lose her" Santana finally came out of hiding, her eyes told Quinn that she was on the brink of crying

"Well that's narrowed it down... you can both tell me you know? I'm not going to judge" she offered

"Santana's in love with Rachel" Brittany stated bluntly

The Latina's eyes bugged "Brittany!" But Quinn didn't seem that thrown off by what Brittany had just confessed for Santana

"What? It's not like you were going to say anything" she shrugged innocently

"And I know you're not going to say who you like either" she said in a harsh whisper realising that their voices had gained volume since the beginning of this conversation, so she tried to quieten them down again

Quinn was very confused at the silent conversation Brittany and Santana seemed to be having "If it's Artie, I'm sure he'll want you back, I'm sure he still has feelings for you"

"It's not Artie" she said sadly, turning her head in Quinn's direction but not meeting the other blonde's eyes "We should get some sleep" she muttered

Quinn was extremely confused; why wouldn't Brittany say who she had feelings for? If she told Quinn then Quinn would do everything in her power to make sure Brittany was happy... that's what you do when you love someone, you don't want to see them hurt or sad.

"Good night" they all muttered to one another once they were in their cots

...

Later that night

"Rachel, why are you still awake?" Finn walked out into the small common area of the Berry's underground primary bunker

"Can't sleep" he took a seat next to her "And I'm waiting for a phone call that might never come"

"What if they don't call?" Finn asked uneasily

"There's a lot of what if's flying around, Finn... but I guess we'll have to leave this place anyway, and be prepared for anything and everything"

"I was thinking..." he started, trying to get Rachel's attention; she seemed to be staring off into space "With everything as bad as it is; we should tell people the truth" she finally looked to him "... I want to be with you again Rachel, I love you"

"I-I'm sorry Finn but I... I just can't"

"Why?" he asked that dreaded one word question

"Because..." she sighed, he said we should tell people the truth "Because I feel for someone else, and if this really is the end, I'd rather spend my final days alone or with someone who I love than one whose feelings I no longer reciprocate. I'm sorry Finn"

Before another word could be said the phone on the counter in front of them; started ringing

**What do you think, let me know...**


	3. As I'll Ever Be

**AN: erm what can I say... oh yeah; thanks for all the reviews! And here's the next chapter :)**

**AN2: thanks again to TrustInFaith for the prompt, I'm enjoying writing this, I just hope I don't let people down**

**Posted: 23/1/12**

As I'll Ever Be

Rachel eyes widened after the first long ring, as soon as the second rang out she snatched the phone up without hesitation "Hello!" she nearly shouted down the phone

"_Oh sweetheart thank god you're alive"_ was sighed from the other end of the line _"Did you manage to get anyone, with you?"_

"Yes" she said shakily "There are 15 of us including myself. We're at Berry base No.1"

The phone ringing so loudly woke all those in the bunker who had managed to sleep and alerted them all to the conversation they had been waiting for. They all gathered in the common area of the bunker, looking like they were in prison or detention centre in their matching pyjamas; blue shorts and t-shirts, provided by the bunker.

"_That's great Rachel"_

"How bad is it dad?"

"_Quite bad, there are cases of the virus outbreak in several states, the entire United States is being quarantined... they're- they're not..." _

"Dad what is it?" she asked worried, the others in the room just watched her in anticipation. She heard the phone go quiet "Dad!"

"_Sorry honey, your dad's just having a moment"_ her other, the taller and darker skinned father sighed _"He's trying to say; they're not letting anyone in or out of the country, they're already building blockades along borders, but it looks like Canada is doomed already"_

"Do you know how it's spreading?"

"_Put me on speaker so you don't have to repeat"_

She hit the correct button on the phone "Okay, you're on speaker"

"_Okay: the infection has hit several water sources, and food sources, we have no way of knowing just yet. We are sure it's not air born"_

"And how many are infected?"

"_Way too many to count... it just hit so fast. Have you encountered anyone you... you know?"_

"I-" she stumbled over her words looking at the others worried it might traumatise them further "some teachers from McKinley, but I don't know why it focused on them" she decided to not name any one specific

"I might know how" Mr S volunteered "The staff has a separate caterer at Lunch; but Emma and I always take our own" he explained "as for Shannon, she either brings... brought her own or would get it delivered from Breadsticks" he offered sadly when he had to correct himself

"_That catering company might have had infected produce then"_

"Do you know which infection it is; is it one that you were researching?" she asked hopeful

_"It's a variation of one of them: you can use the indication papers me and your dad made. The ones labelled B13, you can test any food and water you find. We've managed to figure that if the paper's turn purple or red then its infected"_

"Okay. How far did you make it?"

_"We're reaching the limits of Ohio, so we didn't make it too far. Lima isn't looking as bad, it gets worse the further out you get. We're at Lopez base No.3"_

"Lopez?" Both Rachel and Santana asked in unison, Santana sounded a lot more surprised than the smaller brunette

"_Yes, we're with both of them"_

"There daughter is here" Rachel looked to Santana who looked relieved. None of them had asked about their parents, they were either too shocked at what was already going on, worried about the answer they might receive, or realised Rachel didn't know all the answers "I didn't know they were involved"

"_We know, we didn't want to share too much with you, Sorry"_

"_Santana?"_ a masculine voice asked from the other end of the

"Papi?" she stepped closer to the phone, pure relief radiating from her

"_Your mother is here too. We're so sorry we didn't include you in this; we just didn't think it would happen so soon"_ you could hear the regret and relief mixed in his voice

"Is this really happening?"

"_I'm afraid so San. Listen to Rachel; she knows what to do. And we'll see you soon"_

"I will Papi" she sniffed: the whole thing even thought they'd seen the Sue Sylvester Zombie, it was now _finally _real

"_Good girl, we love you"_

"I love you both too" she was crying now, the others didn't know what had happened to their parents.

Rachel was the only one who had the ability to really comprehend how Santana was feeling, the others were too worried for themselves and not knowing about their families. The short brunette just wanted to hold the taller one, but Brittany and Quinn beat her too it, Brittany's arms were wrapped round the Latina from one of her sides and Quinn was comfortingly running a hand over her back

"_Rachel"_

"Yes, daddy?"

"_We need to get to the Fort. Once your dad and I are secure there we will be able to find you"_

"But we can't stay here" she protested, we'll run out of supplies, it could take you months"

"_Calm Rachel, calm"_ her dad said as soothingly as possible, through the phone, Rachel felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, she looked to her side to see it was Finn... he was just trying to be helpful so she offered him a small smile _"If you can; try and travel, travel to the fort with your survivors. Open up the cabinet with the medical supplies, there's a map with all our bunkers marked on them. We'll fax you the locations of some of the Lopez's bases and you can use them too"_

"But how will we access them?"

"_Santana, she'll be able to open them... the code is her birthda_y" they heard Mrs Lopez say _"And some have an additional thumb print scanner. Santana use your right thumb"_ she instructed

"_We have to go now; we will be in contact soon. Once we reach the Fort we can track the use of the bunkers"_

"Wait! Have you had contact from anyone else?"

"_We have, but not as many as we'd hoped. Now we have to go. We love you Rachel"_

"But daddy" then the phone line went dead "love you too" she sighed to her parents who could no longer hear her

There was a moment of silence

"So... what do we do now?"

"We sleep" Rachel answered simply, finally putting the phone down, the dull tone telling her the other end had been cut off, mocking her "And we can plan tomorrow, then the day after that we go"

"But isn't I going to get worse out there?" Puck asked

"Yes Noah, it will but right now we need sleep and I need a day to plan this thing, I need to mark out where we can stop for supplies, where will be safe to sleep at night, where to get fuel for the truck and other options in case those that I plan aren't reliable-"

"Okay, calm Rachel" he put an arm round her "like you said, we need sleep now. So please relax"

She nodded, you better go back to bed, try and sleep, and I'll answer your questions in the morning... I'll also do what I can when it comes to your families" she added sadly

They all offered sad smiles, in an attempt to show their gratitude. The glee club and two teachers filed out of the room, minus Rachel

"Aren't you going to sleep; Rachel" hearing her name from that girl was more than strange

"Yeah, I'm going to sleep in here, I don't really want to share a room with Mr Schue and Miss Pillsbury" she tried to say with humour

"You could... stay in the same room with Britt, Q and me" she offered

"Wow all this zombie apocalypse talk and Santana Lopez changes attitudes just like that" she snapped her fingers "thanks but no, I'll use a pull out bed in here. I need to wait for the fax to come through anyway"

"I could stay in here if you want, keep you company?" the Latina shrugged

"Santana" her tone was serious "This isn't going to be easy, I don't need to tell any of you that. So you should spend time close to Britt"

"But..." words failed the Latina, she just couldn't say it, how could she with what they were going through "Yeah sure" she turned towards the corridor to go back to her assigned room "I know my parents are involved, so now I feel responsible for these people too Rachel" she said over her shoulder "Don't think that you have to do it all by yourself" and with that she left Rachel to herself... like she wanted

...

"Hey Rach, how does this place work exactly? I mean how do we know that the water we just showered in isn't infected" Finn asked, opening a bottle of water and sitting on the circular sofa in the common area, next to Mike

Rachel was leaning over a table, behind the sofa, filling I the map with key locations "it's all recycled. Not the drinking stuff obviously that's why we have to ration that" she'd calculated they could have two small bottles a day each. She looked up to see them all looking at her disgusted "What? It gets filtered and cleaned before its used again" she excused, they didn't look convinced "consider yourselves lucky, when we leave here god knows when you'll be able to shower safely again" she then looked back to the map, leaving her 'base' mates to their improvised breakfast of granola bars

"So" Puck sat down next to her "What's this 'Fort' we keep hearing about?"

She detached herself from the map long enough to answer some questions "The Fort is the base I mentioned, there's enough supplies for 50 people, remember. But there's space for more than that if we can save them"

"Why can't we just leave the country?"

"It's under quarantine Finn, I bet anything approaches a boarder, or is seen in the sea on the coasts, will be destroyed before they can scream" These were things her fathers had taught her about most of her teenage life.

"How far is it to the Fort?" Quinn stepped forward with a more sensible question

"It's..." she trailed off knowing they were going to worry and make a commotion, she moved to one of the cabinets that looked like it contained T.V's

"Where is it?" Mercedes stepped forward, from the kitchen area, using a more demanding tone that Quinn had just done

She still didn't face them "It's in the Mojave wastelands" she cringed

"Holy crap we're gonna die" Artie muttered

"Shit" was also breathed by many

"We'll make it; we have to" Rachel finally faced them and tried to give them a pep talk "We stick to the map, we plan this thing and we work together and we will be fine... Now, I just need to check..." she turned back to the screens "Shit" she slammed her fist on the wall next to them

"What now?"

"The cameras... they never finished installing them"

"So..." Tina asked for the short brunette to elaborate

"I can't see what's going on up top. I don't know how many are outside already... I need to connect them"

"We could just go"

She shook her head "There're too many things I need in the house, things I need to set up before we can go. I'm going to have to go up there; blind. I'll hook up the cameras, you'll be able to see when they're linked and then I'll do what I can for preparations" she made her way over to another cabinet, opened it up to reveal "Not all the supplies are down there, most of them are up top waiting to be loaded into the two army vehicles parked in the garage. I also need to check they're still working"

She started loading her revolver she used from the other day and pulling out of the cabinet an assault rifle.

"Santana, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Rachel asked as the other girl started copying her, taking a shotgun from the cabinet and a revolver and loading them with ease, to every one's surprise

"I'm going with you" she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world

"Don't be stupid"

"No what's stupid is you letting all the weight fall onto your shoulders. If you're going up there you might as well have an extra pair of eyes and an extra gun"

Rachel sighed "Do you even know how to use one of those"

"Point and shoot right" she smirked

The shorter brunette just rolled her eyes "Sure... just make sure you grip it firmly when you squeeze the trigger, when it shoots back it could break or dislocate your shoulder, and I don't think we'll be finding a working hospital any time soon" she added with a light hearted tone, which was difficult to accomplish in this situation

"I got your back berry, you're not doing this alone"

Rachel just nodded before dragging Puck from his seat "This here is an intercom. I need you to listen to me, then once I set up the cameras are set up you are only to send an outgoing message if it's an absolute emergency, otherwise you might give away our positions"

He nodded quickly in understanding

"I will be locking you in the bunker, if you have to get out then type the code 3025181293" she grabbed a permanent marker and wrote it on the white wall next to the screens

"Wh-what if you don't come back?"

She didn't really want to think about that "So many what if's" she whispered to herself "If I-"

"We" Santana butted in

"If we don't come back, then wait three days, my fathers should have made contact by then and will give you further instruction"

Finn stood up and enveloped a gun cradling Rachel into a hug, the rifle "Come back safe" he said against the top of her head

Only Quinn and Brittany noticed the moment of hurt on Santana's face

"Thank you Finn" she pushed him away "Santana?" she headed to the exit door "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be"

**Let me know what you think...**


	4. Family: Part One

**AN: thank you so much for all of your reviews, they have me smiling, too much... my mum was worried: seeing as she assumes I'm a miserable cow all the time... no that's just what being round my family does to me, ha-ha joke XD**

**Posted: 25/1/12**

Family: Part one

The leading brunette unlocked the final door on the route out of the bunker and without hesitation stepped out

"Rachel!" the Latina whispered harshly "What if they're in the house?" she stayed in the hole as Rachel stood over the entrance

"I set the alarms before we went down there, we would have been alerted if they got into the house. When I unlocked this door it turned the alarm off" she offered her hand to help the shotgun wielding girl off the final stepped of the ladder "So they don't get a nasty surprise" she gestured downward to the people at the other end of the Ladder

"Thanks" Santana muttered once her feet were of solid ground again, she glanced down the shaft "Whoa, I don't remember it being so far down"

"Well, we were all in a panic when we got here" She stepped past her volunteer to shut the hatch door

"You weren't" she huffed a laugh

"No, believe me I was" Rachel chuckled

"So... what do we need to do while we're up here?"

"We need to, collect a couple of things and put them in one of the trucks in the garage and then we connect the cameras, and if I remember how far they got with connection..." she sighed and cringed "They needed to connect the wire from the satellite dish to the house..."

"And why do you need a satellite dish for cameras"

"Oh we have cameras all over the place, so I can plan our route out of the state from here; all the bases have dishes set up. The telephone lines are underground though; luckily for us" Rachel explained

"So... We're going outside?" Santana asked hesitantly

"Yep" Rachel but her lip "You still sure you want to help me" she raised an eyebrow

'_Ugh why's she biting her lip and doing that thing with an eyebrow... it's a little like an impression of Q, wait delete that image!'_ "Yeah, I'm still in" she finally managed to say

"For a second then I thought you were going to climb back down the ladder" she chuckled "Right; when we go upstairs keep away from the windows. In the kitchen is some of extra medical equipment and then I need to go up to my room and get Maria and thumper"

"Okay" Santana nodded taking in everything the other girl had just said _'Wait! Who the hell are Maria and Thumper, I'm not risking my life for her fucking teddy bears!'_ it was too late to actually ask these questions, Rachel was already half way up the stairs.

"You got ammo right?" Rachel ducked her head back down

"Uh-huh" '_Is it me or does she seem excited; fuck knows what's up there!_' Santana caught up to the other brunette a she pushed the door open slowly and dropped to the ground

"Oh yeah, make sure you don't blow your own arm off when you're crawling with that thing" Santana rolled her eyes "And I know we've never been friends but I hope you don't decide to shoot me either; I'm trusting you"

"Rachel, I would never-" even if Rachel meant it as a joke; Santana was still hurt that the other girl could ever have that thought of such a thing

"Don't worry about it Lopez. Just know that I'm putting a lot of trust in you. No pressure" she winked before crawling towards the living room window. Santana tried not to stare at the girls back side that was like right in her face, and tried to keep her mind in the mission. _'Rachel Berry you'll be the death of me'_ she sighed internally

Rachel stopped the far side of the window, in a crouch, gesturing for the Latina to stay the other side, their backs pressed against the walls next to the window. They simultaneously peered out of the window from the sides

"Shit" The Latina whispered

"How many do you count on this side" Rachel asked, meaning the area in front of the house on the side she couldn't see

"Loads"

"Can you be more specific" Rachel asked in a stressed whisper

"7... no, no, 10... Oh great, 12... Yeah I think 12... Shit! I can't see totally. Hummel's car's blocking"

"Shit, mines blocking this side" She kept her back pressed against the wall and straightened her legs from the knee

For a brief moment Santana was just thankful that the other girl wasn't wearing one of those sinfully short skirts, and was wearing the same thing they were all wearing; Black jeans, grey t-shorts and black zip-up hoodies; the 'uniform' provided by the bunker yet again. She was taken from her thoughts as Rachel dropped back to her crouch "How many?"

Rachel looked at her then bit her lip again "Loads" they shared a light laugh "Let's move the medical supplies first to the garage then load the trucks. My dad's always checked they're working so, I can do that last minute. If there's anything wrong we'll have to supplement my Lexus" she volunteered. Then without warning she was off again keeping low, ducking behind furniture to not catch the attention of the creatures roaming the streets outside. Santana didn't even realise the other girl had even moved at first, she was still watching the pale bodies moving with seemingly no destination.

Rachel was quick to find the extra medical supplies although they both knew that if they were to get injured... by a zombie, then there was no amount of medical supplies that could save them then.

The pair were in the garage loading supplies into the two cars.

"Rach!" echoed a harsh whisper from one of the walls startling both the girls.

Rachel ran to the intercom system attached at the wall and whispered back with the same harshness "For fuck sake Noah, you scared the shit out of us, what the fuck do you want?"

"If you hadn't called me Noah I would have so said that was Lopez cursing at me then"

"What do you want?"

"Well..."

"Spit it out!" Santana was at the two way intercom now too, she'd quickly finished loading the last of the supplies for Rachel beforehand though

"The phone rang"

"You answered it right?"

"Yeah... it was Shelby" they could now hear faint snivelling in the back ground, making them worry

"What's wrong?" Concern evident in her voice

"She said it was pretty dense, round her house and she was worried, and she wanted to speak to your fathers, she didn't realise they'd already left. So I said you were here and she, well she sounded like she didn't want to ask for help but I'm sure she wanted it. Rach I know this is selfish of me but... well Quinn's upset too... for Beth" Rachel's heart clenched in fear for two people she considered her friends, forgetting that Shelby was her own birth mother.

"If you let me up I'll help you Rach. It's just... she's my daughter you know, and Quinn's and I can't... I'm worried"

"It's okay Noah" she assured him in a much softer voice "You stay put; I'll get them. Just hold tight okay?"

"Thank you Rachel, thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to us" That was Quinn, you could hear how shaken up she was.

Rachel let go of the button on the wall allowing them to hear her and headed back into the main part of the house, carefully getting to the stairs

"I'm going with you" Santana said sternly, still following closely

She turned on the stairs to face the Latina who was now standing only a single step lower, making her only the slightest bit shorter than Rachel "Are you sure?"

She felt Rachel's softly on her face as easily as she heard her words "I'm with you Rach" she breathed

"Thank you Santana" they were so close now... but then Rachel moved again, running further up the stairs "I just have to get Maria and Thumper"

When the Latina caught up she saw Rachel routing around under her bed, she pulled out a 9mm pistol and a shotgun. Santana just stood there, mouth slightly open in confusion and eyebrows both raised in confusion.

"Santana; meet Maria" she held up the 9mm "And thumper" the shotgun

"Ohhh" she sighed in realisation.

The shorter girl then moved to her wardrobe pulling out some sort of complicated strap "It's a holster so I can carry my four guns" she explained noticing Santana confused again, and not wanting the taller girls mind to wander to dirty places involving this weird jacket shaped holster. Rachel connected the revolver on her left hip, the 9mm on her right and the shotgun on her back; keeping the assault rifle in her arms "Right, now we're ready"

She smiled confidently at Santana as she skipped out of the room and back down the stairs

"So do you have a plan... don't we still need to connect the camera"

Rachel snapped her fingers "Yes, thanks for reminding me" she darted into the garage, coming out with her car key and a small blue box the size of her hand

"What's that for?" people certainly were full of questions these days

"It's so I can strip the wires and connect them"

"So this isn't a simple plug it into the wall job"

"You thought any of this would be easy" she raised an eyebrow "I do have a plan though: we get in my car, you drive us round to the back right corner of the house, I'm pretty sure that's where the satellite dish is set up. Then I jump out, using the car as cover and connect the cameras up. You open the sun roof and stand up out of it and shoot any that pose as a threat to us. How does that sound?"

"Um... fine" she shrugged her shoulders cool-y

"Think you can handle it?"

"Yes Berry, let's just get this done... getting a little nervous over here"

"Okay then" they both went straight to the front door, Rachel leant against the wall to the side of the door that opened "Oh yeah, there's a fence round the side, just drive straight through it" she hit the unlock button on the key and they both heard it beep that it was no unlocked, she then passed the key to the Latina "When you're ready open the door?"

Santana nodded before readying her double barrel shot gun and taking a deep breath "1" she started counting softly "2" she looked at Rachel again to make sure she was ready, "3" they nodded at one another "Now" she yanked the door open, relief washing over them that the car unlocking hadn't ushered the zombies over and they weren't staring one in the face

They ran to the car, quickly climbing in, forgoing the seatbelt as they'd be moving from their seat in a minute anyway.

Santana reversed the Lexus straight into a zombie before switching gear and revving the engine speeding forward, she turned the corner tightly and crashed through the low fence, sending splintering wood in all directions. The Latina braked quickly and both driver and passenger jerked forward in their seats. It didn't cause Rachel to falter though, she was soon hopping out of the car and Santana was soon opening the sun roof before planting her feet firmly on both front seats; she held the shot gun into her shoulder and preparing for the zombies to stumble round the corner of the building and closer to the corner

Rachel immediately spotted the cable hanging from the roof. She dropped to one knee and started striping back the insulation protecting the three copper wires inside. The shorter girl was momentarily distracted when she heard heavy uneven footsteps and an unhealthy groan

Santana steadied herself again, patting the pocket of her hoody where she kept ammo for the shot gun

"Today would be good Santana" Rachel said warily, as she glanced between the cable and pliers in her hand and the walking dead that were nearing

"I've got it Rachel" she snapped back

One seemed to be nearer than the rest and it was putting Rachel off that she hadn't heard any gun fire yet "Lopez! Quit stalling!"

"I've got it hang on" she had the gun trained on the walking body, what was she waiting for,

BANG! She flinched as the closest zombie fell to the ground, she broke her eye line with the others approaching to look at Rachel who held a smoking Maria, in her left! hand.

"God damn it Berry! That was my kill!"

"Get on with it Lopez" she holstered her pistol again before returning to the job at hand

"Fine" she said like an upset child, she turned back to the threat and unleashed hell, normally effecting at least two stumbling creatures at a time with a single blast. She was also quick to reload

Before they knew it Rachel was done, the cameras were connected. She looked up to the corner of the house above her, knowing a camera was there, she waved and gave a thumbs up (knowing those in the bunker below their feet could see her) before climbing back into the car and shutting the door behind her

"You're a good shot Lopez" she complimented as she climbed through, now taking the driver's seat

"Don't sound so surprised Berry" they were both a little out of breath, mainly from the adrenaline of it all "Papi used to take me, to the shooting range, all the time... I guess he was training me without me even knowing"

"It's very possible" she put the car into gear before reversing, knocking down all in the way.

"Sorry about back there, being impatient and all" Rachel was the first to apologise

"Yeah, I'm sorry too, I guess I could of told you I was waiting deliberately, to line them up... so I didn't run out of cartridges"

"its okay, I just panicked a little"

"I wouldn't let anything happen to you Rachel, I got your back" she looked at the side of Rachel's face fondly

"That's good to know" she glanced at Santana briefly to meet her gaze before returning them importantly to the road "And for the record: I gots ya back too" she then laughed, it took Santana a moment to realise the other girl had attempted (poorly) and impression of 'Gangster Santana'. It did make her smile though

They nervously continued their journey to Shelby's house, not sure what lay ahead for them

**Let me know what you think...**

**Oh and I'll try and have the next chapter up Friday night :)**


	5. Family: Part two

**AN: As promised next chapters up (well its night time here). As usual thanks for the all the reviews: I am very grateful for all of them :)**

**Posted: 27/1/12**

Family: Part Two

"How do you feel?" The Latina asked from the passenger seat as Rachel drove cautiously through the streets of Lima Ohio. It was pretty bad out there but the streets weren't swamped with the Zombies, more like a few here and there. Luckily the car didn't need to move at an extreme speed to avoid the walking dead; they weren't that fast. "About risking your life for Shelby's... after what she did... or rather didn't do" Santana clarified

"Shelby's just some woman to me... we sang together, she tried to give me performance advise, she adopted my... bullies, child" Santana cringed at the memory of what she had done to the shorter girl, how could Rachel ever accept her real feeling after all that. "As far as I'm aware, I'm not doing this for Shelby; I'm doing this for two people who are I've grown close-ish too, and the innocent little girl who's mixed up in the middle of this" She said firmly

"So it never worked out for you... you know having Shelby in your life"

Rachel scoffed "I wasn't what she wanted... I told her a story from when i was a child; about when I felt sad my dad's would bring me a glass of water and that it got to the point where I didn't know if I was sad or just thirsty" Santana actually listened... well she wanted too, she always wanted too, she normally just shut Rachel off and hurt her before someone else got the chance "She gave me this glass with a gold star on it" she huffed a humourless laugh "do you want to know what I did?"

She glanced at Santana who just nodded

"I took the glass, politely. She even told me gold stars were 'kinda her thing'"

Santana chuckled "funny, I've heard someone say that before"

"Yeah" she agreed sadly "Makes me think we could have been really close, you know? We're so similar it's scary... but anyway the 'normal' me, the one you all know form school, she took the glass politely with a smile, took it home... then real me; Zombie killing, even crazier berry took that glass out to the garden, with Maria, and shot it... it made me feel better for about 3 seconds and then..." she just sighed and shook her head

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be it's not anything you caused"

"No but... well not just that... Sorry for being such a bitch"

"Don't worry about it" they turned onto Shelby's road, the apartment block they were heading for was just about halfway up the street "it was just high school stuff, right? You know the social hierarchy... no one wants to be at the bottom and-" she cut herself off as they pulled up outside the building" Shit" she breathed and without thinking she was out of the car and running to the front door of Shelby's home that had been forced open, the front window smashed in too

"Rachel wait" Santana unbuckled her seat belt before clambering out of the car to stop Rachel from running into possible danger without thinking

The shorter brunette stopped abruptly in the doorway

"Rachel, wait" Santana whispered as she caught up, Rachel was silent, just holding onto her assault rifle staring at the splattered corpses across the apartment "Fuck"

"Shelby?" Rachel asked as she cautiously ventured deeper into the apartment

Santana just swallowed nervously and gripped the shotgun firmly in both of her hands; she followed Rachel but couldn't take her eyes off the corpses. She couldn't tell how many there had been when they were... 'Living'. A couple had a limb missing, another didn't have a head. It looked like they'd just been blown off by a shot gun

"Shelby?" Rachel whispered harshly again. Both Santana and she nearly jumped out of their skins when a body hit one of the door frames

"Rachel, thank god you're here. The-they got in" her breathing was rapid "I was just trying to get me and Beth away from here and it all went wrong" as she stepped out of the doorway the two girls saw the woman holding the top of her left arm with her right hand, blood gushing from a wound

"Shelby! Di-did they, did they..." she swallowed loudly

"They got me Rachel, but you're here just in time"

"I don't understand" she shook her head

"Beth's in her room" she pointed to the closed door the other side of the girls from where she stood; she wouldn't go near it herself; afraid of what she might become and do to the innocent child she loved "take her, you have to keep her safe, please Rachel" tears ran down her blood splattered face as she begged the daughter she gave up to rescue the one she adopted "I know I've been awful to you, messing you up; by showing up and disappearing but please I need you to take Beth, please" she begged

"But Shelby-" she tried to protest, Santana just stood by her shot gun in hand, trying to be ready for anything

"It's too late Rachel, too late for me, please go now" she stumbled backwards into the room she had just come out from "I'm sorry" she heard yell from the room, the short brunette ran to the doorway, unfortunately in time to see the mother she never had, take a 9mm pistol, bring it to her mouth, close her eyes tightly and blow the brains out the back of her head... her lifeless body slumped to the floor, revealing more of the blood and brain splatter of the wall behind it.

Before either of them could emotionally take in what had just happened in the few seconds they had been in this apartment, they were interrupted by heavy footsteps and the room getting darker. Both turned abruptly to see the things of their most recent nightmares.

Santana raised her shotgun but was beaten too it when Rachel used her rifle to riddle the walking dead with lead "Get Beth" she ordered, but Santana was frozen as she saw more zombies approaching the door "Now!" she shouted, jabbing the taller girl in the ribs with her elbow, to break her from her haze.

The Latina shook her head before her feet started moving, she shoved the door open; there stood in her cot was 18 month old Beth; her face was red and tears still poured from her eyes, she was making quiet moany sobbing sounds. The little girl was probably just upset from being woken by all the loud noises outside her room; she was most likely oblivious to the actual crisis at hand.

A lot of gun fire rattled from the living area of the apartment

"San, you got her?" Rachel asked from the door glancing between the taller girl and the front door to her right.

The Latina broke, yet again, from her action halting thoughts as she stared at this little vulnerable oblivious girl in front of her. She quickly scooped the little blonde in her left arm, still holding the shotgun in her right. She didn't even have time to pick up on the fact Rachel had called her 'San'.

The Latina made sure Beth was curled into her so she didn't see the horrific scene around them. They got to the front door and there were yet more stumbling infected people stumbling towards them.

Rachel shot a pathway to the car for them. Before they knew it they were safely in the Lexus and with a screeching wheel spin they were on their way back... with only one more passenger

They started the drive back in silence, Santana had just managed to quieten Beth down, the Latina also shielded the child from the view outside the car, she didn't want her seeing what she was seeing; those... things wandering the streets like drunk or injured people.

"So..." Santana said into the silence of the car "I'm sorry about what happened to Shel-"

"I don't want to talk about it" she kept her tone soft as she interrupted

"It's okay to, talk about it, though" it was like they'd switched personalities

"No, I don't want to talk about her"

"is this you feeling guilty because of how you spoke of her"

"Just shut up!" This time she did snap but her voice wasn't loud; only forceful "I don't want to talk about her; okay?"

"Fine" the raven haired girl grumbled with an eye roll.

And now they were back to the silence...

"This is going to be hard on Britt" Santana said softly holding the finally slumbering child on her lap and stroking her hair

"I know Brittany is stronger than most people give her credit Santana. You know her best and she doesn't fool me. This whole Zombie thing is hard on all of us; I don't think she's taking it any worse"

"Huh?" the Latina pulled an odd expression, then it hit her "I didn't mean that... I meant Beth, it's going to be tough on her if Q and Puck have this one to bond them..." she trailed off realising she may have said too much

"Why would it harm Brittany?" the driver furrowed her brow, then swerved to avoid another abandoned car on their route back to Berry Base No. 1 "Oh... I'm sorry Santana, no wonder you didn't seem bothered by the fact you could die if you left the bunker with me" she mumbled the last part

"What?" they were just burying each other in more confusion

"I'm sorry Brittany doesn't reciprocate your feelings and to be honest I'm completely surprised; I didn't see her with Noah like that"

"No. No, no, no; me- me and Britt there's no feelings there; we just use one another, we both want other people, and It's not Puck, who she wants" Santana decided to clear that up for now

"It's not Noah" Rachel furrowed her brows but kept her eyes on the road ahead of them, avoiding the 'walking dead' who clearly weren't street wise. "Then why would Beth affect... Oh!" she actually looked at her passenger this time "Quinn?"

"Uh-huh" she nodded meeting Rachel's gaze

"Wow, I didn't see that" there was something else she didn't see, rapidly getting closer to the front of her car. They both turned to face the front again just in time to scream as they saw a body exploded against the front of the car. Bits of already rotting flesh stuck to the windscreen, Rachel had to use the windscreen wipers to get rid of it

Beth started whiny crying because she had been woken by two, surprisingly shrill, shrieks from the other two passengers in the car

"That could have only been dead a day, how was it so... mushy already?" The Latina really couldn't think of a better word than mushy

"I don't know, maybe the infection works faster for some, and started decomposing the body sooner. When I hit Su- that one we met in the car park at school, with the bat, it was solid... although they'd probably only been infected for a couple of hours" she sighed "I wish I knew more"

They drove in silence for a while; well the two teenagers were nearly silent as one hushed the 18 month old on her lap

"I don't think Brittany should worry too much" Santana looked at the driver curiously "With Beth being involved in Quinn and Puck's lives. I think the Quick Ship sailed and sunk long ago" she laughed lightly

"You think so?"

"Yeah, there's hope for her I think... I mean who knows what's going on in Quinn's head, and like the name suggested, her and Puck; their relationship didn't last long, I don't think there's much hope for it... Quitt though?" she mused

"Or Fierce?"

"I like that one" Rachel laughed again, making Santana smile fondly at seeing the other girl happy momentarily "What about you? Who is it you like?"

"Oh... no one, it doesn't matter..."

"Why... are they not with us?" she asked carefully

"No, they're with us" she assured the shorter dark haired girl

"So who is it? Please don't say Finn"

Santana laughed before saying a very forceful "No" she then sighed "Been there done that"

"Yeah... me too" her tone regretful

"What!" she shot her eyes to the driver "You slept with him?"

She nodded reluctantly "it was awful not because he wasn't any good... well it's unfair to say, but it was all..." she cringed again "It was pity sex"

"Ugh"

"I just felt so bad and I thought I could make it better... how wrong was I?"

"Why did you break up with him?"

"... He proposed to me" she said weakly

"What!" she tried not to exclaim to loudly in fear of upsetting Beth again "He doesn't deserve you-" she cut herself off before she rambled on

"Thank you Santana. I hope whoever you want knows how lucky they are, and you know, you shouldn't hesitate; you have nothing to lose"

"What if I lost them, Rachel?" she sounded so weak, but that's what the thought of losing Rachel did to her

"Well, isn't it better to have them and lose them than never share a moment with them?" _'Why aren't you taking your own advise then?' _the voice in Rachel's head questioned "Is it Quinn? Is that why you're hesitating, because of Brittany?"

"What? No!"

"It's okay to like a girl you know, who's left to judge you? Ohio certainly can't anymore"

"You know I'm gay Rachel" she mumbled "You sang that song with me and the other girls remember"

That gave Rachel something to think about "... it's not sugar then, because you said they're with us"

"Sugar? No way... what do you think happened to her, she wasn't in school yesterday"

"Maybe they knew this was coming and _daddy_ jetted him and her away from this" Rachel huffed a laugh although it wasn't funny "Is it Tina?"

"Will you just drop it?" Santana didn't like how close Rachel was getting to the truth, she couldn't keep saying no, because then the shorted girl would eventually narrow done the answer

"It's Tina, then!" she exclaimed, seemingly happy that she thought she'd figured it out "oh, but she's with Mike-"

"Stop it! I'm not telling you so can we drop the subject"

"Sorry if I was trying to talk about something a little more lightly hearted" Rachel's tone was punchy as she spat her words out

"This isn't light hearted, even compared with what's going on out there" she pointed to the obvious infected wandering the streets "This is my life and my feelings, and I'm sorry that I still find it hard to be as open as you"

"I'm hardly an open person"

Santana scoffed "Really? Why don't you just get back together with Finn, that's what you both want" she spat

"I don't want him!" their voices were getting louder and the little blonde girl on the Latina's lap started fidgeting again "I stopped having feelings for him over two years ago, the only reason I was still with him, the only reason I slept with him was because he wanted me and I know the person I really wish I could be with will _never_ feel the same way!" and now the little blonde girl was crying again

"It's okay, it's okay" The Latina hushed, bouncing Beth on her knee gently; basically doing anything to try and calm the child down

'_Oh, why tease me with images like that, so the girl's blonde... we might have adopted, after we were married... living in New York City, together, me on Broadway, she working in a successful Law firm...'_ "Life's a cruel bitch" she muttered

"You got that right" the Latina grumbled. Beth sat quietly on her lap again; staring at Rachel (they didn't want her seeing out of the window, it might scare her)

Rachel's eyes widen, she didn't realise she said that last bit out loud, she could just be thankful it was _just_ the last part.

"I'm sorry, I've got like five different personalities floating around right now"

'_And I'm in love with all of them... ugh I should have said that out loud it would have been perfect... right until she told you she doesn't feel the same'_ "Don't be sorry, this is all so stressful. I can't really blame you, I've been a little _tri_-polar myself" she said with a little comedy "You see" she shifted in her seat comfortably, holding Beth steady, and swallowed loudly "The thing is" _'here you go, this is your moment' _"I-"

"We're back" she announced as she stopped on the same patch of grass where they car had been parked before "get ready to run with Beth, I've got our backs; just head straight to the basement" With that Rachel got out of the car, grabbing her assault rifle from the foot well and getting ready to fire at any of the approaching dead

"-love you Rachel" she sighed to the empty seat in the car "Come on Beth; you ready?" the child just looked at her, with what looked like, more tears in her eyes "You haven't a clue what's going on; do you?" she sighed pulling the girl closer as she readied herself to get out of the car "Lucky you" she muttered. As soon as she shut the car door behind her the gun fire started

"Get in the house. Now!" Rachel yelled the order from the other side of the car "Basement!"Santana couldn't see the shorter brunette but she did see the front door keys flying towards her, over the car (she didn't even realise that Rachel had shut it behind them when they'd left earlier that day, thankfully one of them had remembered)

She caught the keys in her free hand, and then ran the short distance to the front door. She fumbled with the keys "calm, calm, keep calm" she muttered to herself trying to find which of the three keys on the key chain belonged to this door. She was startled again when Rachel was back in the car reversing it away from the house "Rachel!" she couldn't help but just watch in worry, forgetting the front door

The brunette left the car on the road in front of the house before climbing out through the sun roof and sliding down the passenger side of the car, which only confused Santana, until she saw them; those infected beings (you couldn't call them people any more) were up against the far side of the car trying to get in "Santana, keys!"

"Oh right" she muttered to herself before starting all over again, this time the second key she tried fit, she turned it and the lock clicked open, opening the door as Rachel pushed herself against her back forcing them both quickly into the house.

The shorter brunette, slammed the door behind them, before she dragged the Latina down to the basement, shutting all doors behind them on the way.

As she got the door in the floor to the bunker open there was an earth shaking 'Boom!'

"What was that?" Santana asked Rachel wide eyed and nervous

"That was just my car, do you want me to take Beth, while we climb" she offered but Santana wasn't paying attention to that

"Your car!" her eyes still wide and her eye brows now reaching her hair line

"It has a self destruction sequence" she waved her hand as if it was nothing "Can we move now"  
>"You let me get in that thing three times and it could self destruct"<p>

"It takes time and me to arm it, it's not like a pot hole would cause it to explode. And by blowing it up it kills surrounding Zombies and warns others off. They may have lost brain functions that give them human characteristics but they don't _want_ to die" she explained "Now give me Beth and start climbing down please"

Santana just scoffed and tried to get words out, in the end, she decided to just carefully and quickly pass the infant to the shorter girl and climb down. Rachel made easy work of it, even with an infant in one arm

The Latina was at a loss for words because the entire three car journeys she took in that thing and she thought her biggest threat was the zombies outside or the car itself, not the vehicle she was in

Of course Santana was wrong again; her biggest threat was the short brunette currently on the ladder above her. She was a threat to her heart.

**Let me know what you think...**

**Reviews are encouraging :) **

**Also if you've got a second, could you vote on the poll for this story; it's a little morbid but I'd like a rough opinion over which ones you want to live till the end of the story. So please! Go to my profile page and Vote; I will be very grateful and can get writing the rest of this fic. Thanks in advance - RUMad**


	6. I don't deserve them

**AN: okay warnings: I'm highly intoxicated at the moment and was wearing my mother's glasses when I wrote the first half of this chapter, whoa is she blind... my dad made me give them back :( I'm also cold and my hands hurt as it started snowing earlier and my family had a drunk indoor snowball fight... any who the point is I might not remember exactly what I wrote when I wake up in the morning; but please notify me with what is wrong :) so I can fix it**

**I know I could just not update but I promised TrustInFaith I would, and even though I don't keep promises to my family I do try on here :/**

**Just short filler :/**

**Posted: 4/2/12**

I don't deserve them

Once at the bottom of the ladder, the two safety doors above them closed, Rachel entered the code for the final door back into the bunker.

The shorter girl still held Beth in one arm, the assault rifle on her jacket style multi gun holster. Santana slide the door open once it unlocked and the pair entered the safety of the cramped common room

The rest of the temporary residents' eyes all shot to them, Quinn and Puck were out of their seats

"Where's Shelby?" Puck asked, looking passed the two girls to the door that Santana was sliding shut

"The Zo-"

"She didn't make it" Rachel cut the Latina off, deciding it was best to spare any details

"Oh" Was all Puck said sadly, before he turned his attention to his daughter in Rachel's arms

"Here" she passed her carefully to the boy; Quinn was soon by his side, smiling at her daughter. Rachel immediately noticed the disheartened look on Brittany's face

Santana yanked Rachel back to talk to her more quietly "Shelby gave Beth to _you_"

Rachel just sighed and shook her head, letting her gaze fall back on the little family reunion "They're her parents, and either way I'm looking after her, because I'm looking after all of you"

"No you're not, not on your own. My parents were preparing for this the same as yours, so you've got me Rachel; I'm going to help you look after them, and I'll look after you"

Rachel huffed a laugh but turned her attention back to Santana "It's a real shame"

"What is?"

"It's a shame that it took the end of our everyday existence for me to meet the nice side of Santana Lopez" she then realised how that must have sounded and her eyes widened "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that it's just..." _'What? What is it just? That you fell in love with the bitch from school but you would have fallen for this version of her ten times harder and faster...'_ "It's just unfortunate that we don't get to really know one another until some tragedy occurs" she decided

"You got that right, I didn't know Rachel Berry was such a mother fucking badass" she smirked

"I'll take that as a compliment" she smirked back

...

Quinn and Puck, with an audience, of Brittany had settled Beth. She was napping and the original parents were watching her sleep; curled up on the sofa in between them. It broke Brittany's heart, the glances Quinn and Puck were giving each other and those heartbroken expressions from the taller blonde were heart wrenching for Santana to watch from the other side of the room.

She'd chosen to try and help Rachel who was being a control freak... as usual, as she marked out several routes on a tablet computer and printed maps

The other survivors/rescued by Rachel were lounging around. Finn had complained he was hungry but Rachel pointed out he was most likely bored and they were on rations.

The area was pretty quiet until an alarm and red light flashing from the wall supporting all the hidden cabinets of supplies. Beth started to cry, for the... I don't even know how many, time today and the sleepy people lounging around the small room were all startled to full consciousness

"What the heck is that?" Puck asked irritated as he picked up her daughter and tried to comfort her

"No, no , no, no, no" Rachel muttered before rushing from her seat to the screens hidden behind one of the wall panels, the ones she'd used earlier that day before having to go out there and connect the cameras

Santana was like a little lost puppy as she followed Rachel round the room. It was so un like her to _ever_ act like this; her feelings should have been obvious to everyone in that room but there were scarier things to deal with... scarier that Santana ever having a heart and caring about someone so passionately "Is something wrong?"

"You ever hear an alarm that signified something good" she replied sarcastically, before regretting it "Sorry" she muttered "No, it's bad, kinda really bad" she tapped away at the key board in front of the screens and several of them flicked to views inside the Berry home... and there were, those things, stumbling through the house

"Fuck" Santana breathed "They're in the house" that got the rest of the room attention

"How did they even get in?" Finn asked the first dumb question

"They obviously broke in dumb-ass"

"We probably attracted them to the house" Rachel sighed, as she tried to count up how many were in her home on the multiple screens "you have to think of them simply; they don't deliberately mean to harm us"

"So why are they hunting us?" Puck still supporting Beth on his hip, so she couldn't see the terrifying images on the screen, stepped closer to the screen

"You have to think of them as brain damaged. I figured that's what they essentially are. They have no human compassion, they don't think, they don't even know when they are hungry, thirsty or tired. They look for flesh to feast on and that's it, once they find 'it' and get 'it', they move on" she tried to make her explanation as simple and gentle as possible but it just had more of her bunk mates freaked out "It's not like in some of the movies or video games; they don't have heightened senses or abilities that make them super human. They are quite simply human with clouded judgement"

"So there's no stopping them?" Tina asked "We can't reason with them" she elaborated

"No; as soon as the infection gets to them, it's over" The brunette said sadly

"And now they stand between us and the way out of here?" Blaine asked meekly as he tried to comfort his boy friend

Rachel huffed a laugh before actually facing the people whose lives relied on her "You really think the Berry family wouldn't have a backup plan?" she raised an eyebrow "you don't need to worry about that for now. The garage is secure; more secure than the rest of the house... minus this bunker" she attempted to reassure them "I know it's still early but I think we should get some sleep. I need us all up early so I can run through how to assemble and reload a gun. It'll also be safer for us to move when there's light; simply because we have better visibility"

Her words were supposed to be comforting but hey this was the walking dead they were talking about. The survivors filed out the common area to their assigned rooms, in the hope that they might get some sleep that night.

...

Rachel sat on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands _'what am I going to do? What's going to happen to these people, am I really their only hope, we have to travel so far, with so much unknown. How can I put a shotgun in innocent Brittany's hands? What am I going to do if I get to the Pierce's house and her parents guts have been thrown across the living room like tinsel? What about all the others, what if I let them all down?' _She just felt like crying, she had no idea what was going to happen

"Is it okay if I sleep out here?" She was startled by her thoughts when a real voice joined the mix, she looked up to see Santana looking at her unsure, in her bunker pyjamas: shorts and t-shirts, holding her folded up bunker clothes.

"Sure" she got up and lowered the bed from the wall next to her own. "Not that I'm bothered, but is something wrong with your assigned room"

"Puck moved in, to be closer to Beth with Quinn... and with Brittany there too, it's a lot to handle, emotionally. So I gave Puck my bed and then I didn't really want to move in with Finn and Sam, so here I am. Plus maybe you could use the company"

"Thank you Santana, and yes I can't blame you for not wanting to share a room with Finn and Sam" She chuckled, she turned away from the Latina to remove her hoody and pull her t-shirt over her head. Santana's eyes immediately widened in shock of how comfortable the other girl was just changing in from of her and as much as she would have like to continue watching; she didn't, she couldn't she would have looked like a complete perv had Rachel caught the open moth expression on her face. Santana turned her back to the shorter girl just as Rachel was reaching back to unclip her bra, the Latina swallowed loudly and tried to push any thoughts of just jumping the other girl then and there, away.

The Latina shook all arousing thoughts away and turned her attention to her new bed, she arranged the sheets on the plastic wrapped mattress so she could use it to sleep on

"I hope Brittany will be okay" the shorter dark haired girl broke the taller one from her distracting routine "I know what I said in the car" Santana faced her as the changed girl was arranging her pillows "About Quinn and Puck not happening but I worry that Brittany won't see that"

"I guess it's not really that important" The Latina mumbled

"Isn't it?" Rachel paused her motions and furrowed her brow

"There are bigger things going on than our..." she hesitated as she found the right word "romantic feelings"

"I guess" she agreed reluctantly as she pulled back the sheet to her cot "Would you confess?"

"Confess what?" the Latina asked nervously

"To the one you have feelings for, I know it would make this harder... if you lost them but having someone to love and someone to live for can make what little we have, so much better"

"I don't deserve them" she replied simply before climbing into her bed

"But-"

"Good night Rachel" she added quickly before turning away from the other girl and pulling the covers up to her neck

"Good night Santana" the other girl sighed before settling down for the night... the last guaranteed good night's sleep they would have

**Okay so a tonne of snow settling outside, a sobering, scary conversation with my equally intoxicated mother, involving questions I don't want to answer and three cups of coffee later; and that's what I came up with... ****be honest**

**Also tell me how 'far' you want Pezberry to go, what do you want to read? 0_o I'd like to know what the majority of the audience want :) **


	7. Volunteers

**AN: REALLY SORRY this is really short and filler but there's a little smidge of Pezberry and Fierce**

**Posted: 18/2/12**

Volunteers

Santana, Quinn and Brittany sat at the small four seated table; where the phone sat in the middle. Both blondes noticed Santana's distant gaze, the followed it to the section of wall with the computer screens. Sat on a stool in front of the screens was the little Diva that had quickly become the one they were depending on.

"San, you have to talk to her" the short haired blonde told her friend

The Latina shook her head out of her daze; "I can't" she returned her eye line to the bottle of water in her hand on the table top

"You're being stupid, you should just tell her" Brittany added in a hushed whisper

"Look at her" Santana sighed; the brunette across the room was tapping away at keys, glancing at screens, marking a map wit different coloured pens "She's stressed out, and she's got a lot on her plate; I told her I'll do what I can to help but; the last thing she needs is me telling her how I feel"

"Well if you're not going to tell her you've got to stop staring at her" Quinn sighed, making Santana look at her water again

"I think she caught me watching her sleep this morning" She mumbled ashamed

"You what?" Quinn and Brittany leant in closer to hear better

"She sleeps like an angel" she sighed dreamily "I woke up before her and I couldn't help it... and then she woke up and I'm sure she noticed me watching her but she hid her face and –Oh crap she's coming this way" Santana tried to relax and Quinn and Brittany watched amused as their friend shuffled in her seat trying to look more natural... of course it had the complete opposite effect

"Can I talk to you four in confidence?" Rachel asked softly, glancing at the few others round the room, who were lounging around, others had gone to the sleeping quarters

"Sure" Santana answered casually

"What's wrong?" Quinn asked gently

"You don't have to be shy round us Rach" The blonde with the long hair smiled

The short brunette just nodded and smiled at Brittany's comment, Quinn did too but kept her fond smile discrete, Santana was too distracted with trying to act like she hadn't been watching Rachel all morning

"Thank you" Rachel said to the three before furrowing her brow at the other dark haired girl sat at the table "Santana, are you okay? You look uncomfortable" she commented

The raven haired girl was startled into sitting up straight, not in her awkward slouched sitting position. Quinn and Brittany tried not to laugh as she moved

"Anyway, I feel I can trust you four at least; so far your questions have been reasonable and none of you have reacted as badly as the other's... and Santana you were very helpful yesterday. Sorry for the rambling; my point is I have an initial plan and I need a volunteer"

"I'll do it" She didn't shout out her reply and it wasn't rushed but she did answer before anyone else got a chance

"Brittany? Are you sure, you don't even know what it is"

"I'm sure" she said confidently

"Hang on" Quinn stopped them "Brittany you can't just risk yourself like this without thinking; Rachel I'll help you" anything to make sure innocent Brittany didn't get hurt

"Quinn you have a daughter" Brittany took the other blondes hand in her own and looked deep into her eyes "you have a reason to stay safe, you have someone to live for"

Now Rachel and Santana felt like they were intruding

"Brittany that's so not true"

"I'm not stupid, I know that its bad out there. Shelby knew this could happen, like Rachel's dads but those things still got her. I don't think we should hope that our families are safe out there" she looked at Rachel "I know you've done so much for us, so thank you. But like I said, I'm not stupid, I know what's going on" she offered a weak smile "I want to help"

"Then I'm helping too" Quinn volunteered

"Whoa, excuse me; I'm the only one here who has experience, other than Rachel. So if she needs another person it's me"

"I appreciate all the help, but Brittany volunteered first" Rachel kept her voice low and calm

"I'm not letting her go out there without me" Quinn said defiantly

"And I'm not letting you go out there without me; Rachel" Santana matched the short haired blondes tone

Maybe if the short brunette hadn't been dealing with something of greater importance (getting these people out of here alive) she would have realised exactly what and how Santana had said that, maybe Brittany would have realised the same with Quinn's words

"I... I only need one"

"So, tough shit; looks like you've got three volunteers"

"Um; okay. Can any of you drive with a manual gear box?"

"Stick shift?" Santana asked "Sure; I can"

"I can" Brittany informed them

"I haven't before" Quinn mumbled

"Okay, you two are driving" she pointed at Santana and Brittany "That means you're with me Quinn" Before they could ask her exactly what she meant she turned to the rest of the room "I need everyone's attention" she yelled making people venture from their rooms and gather in the cramped living area to hear what she had to say "We will be leaving here today, that I'm sure"

There were mixed opinions some were glad that they would be getting out and breathing real air again, others more worried about what lie ahead.

"Now" She stood up and walked back towards the wall to address her audience "I have... volunteers already, who are going to help me clear the way so I can get you all out of here safety"

Mike raised his hand slowly to ask a question

"Yes?" the leader; Rachel asked "You don't need to raise your hand"

"I'm sorry, I thought you might be getting sick of questions but I was wondering why we can't all go together as the path is cleared"

"Well I realise that could be easier but..." she glanced at their faces round the room and sighed as she realised there was no delicate way of putting this "We have a boy in a wheel chair, a baby and a woman who's still in a petrified state" she finished looking at Emma who hadn't spoken after Will had managed to get a few words out of her when they arrived at the sanctuary. "I've been watching the cameras all morning the house is swamped; my car exploding warded them off before they got curious"

"So who are the volunteers?" Puck asked while cradling a slumbering Beth

"Um" she glanced at the three girls watching her from the table "Santana, Brittany, and Quinn"

The rest of the survivors all turned to the group "What?" Santana shrugged "We all need to do our part"

"I want us to get moving pretty soon so everyone make sure you've got what you need and pick out a pistol or revolver and a shotgun or rifle; be ready to move. Sam, Puck and Finn I need you three to carry Artie up like you did when you helped him down" the boy in the wheel chair looked down ashamed "Artie please don't feel like that" she read him immediately "I- I just need everyone to be ready. Now you should all be okay with the guns I showed you all how to use them this morning. Will, are you okay to assist Emma?" there was no need for teacher titles anymore. The teacher nodded in response "Puck, I assume you can handle Beth or ask for someone's help if you are assisting Artie?"

"Sure" he seemed distant

"Okay, the four of us will get ready and head up. I will use the intercom system when it is time for you to leave. You will need to enter the code" she pointed to where it was still written on the wall "to unlock the door's"

As Rachel gave out a few more instructions Brittany and Quinn started collecting guns; instruments of destruction that their lives would soon rely on. Puck, and Beth, were soon by Quinn's side "What are you thinking?" he asked in a harsh whisper "You are a full time mother now, you have responsibilities"

"You don't think I'm thinking about her, I'm doing this for her, for all of us. If I stay down here and hold her or go up there and help get us all out of here safely I'm still taking care of her" she reached out and ran a caring hand through her daughters soft golden locks

"I'm sure those three can handle this, or I'll go in your place" he almost begged. It wasn't that he wanted Quinn and she knew that... after the whole Shelby thing (even though she was... gone). Quinn and Puck both knew that the two of them together wasn't going to happen but that didn't mean they didn't care about one another, especially with their daughter so heavily in the mix.

"That's sweet but you're her dad and well you don't understand" she turned to him once she finished loading the 10mm pistol "I need to do this, I need to be by someone's side, I can't lose them"

He studied her pleading eyes before simply nodding, not one hundred percent sure he knew what she meant but he felt he had no choice; she'd do what she wanted, or needed, to do

Santana stood by the door to the ladder and their only way out with her shotgun cradled in her hands. Rachel was slipping on her three gun holding holster "I've got to ask, why did you name your guns?"

"Um... well I guess, I feel they're close to me, and I rely on them like family... I also perhaps care about them like family; I mean I have to look after them to make sure they always work properly" she shrugged "I guess that sounds weird"

"A little" Santana agreed with a smirk, making Rachel smile before bowing her head to hide a slight blush

They were interrupted when one of the two blonde cleared their throat to signal that they were now standing behind her

"I want you three to understand that this is my last real plan, once we get them all out of here; there is no real plan; because I have no idea what's going to happen"

"I think we can understand that" Santana said with a hint of sarcasm "Are we ready then?" the other three nodded.

They all exchanged goodbyes/see you soon's with the others in the bunkers as well as wishes of good luck.

"I'll go first, Santana do you think you could take the back?"

The Latina nodded quickly, while the four all slung their guns onto the back using the attached straps

"Here we go then" she unlocked the sealed door and started to climb the ladder on the other side.

"Don't worry San, I'll try not to stare at your girls ass" Quinn whispered her teasing remark before slipping past and starting the climb too

"She's only joking San" Brittany reassured her with that innocent voice and face before also joining the climb. The Latina just shook her head before slipping into the ladder shaft and sealing the door behind her.

**Let me know what you think...**

**Also thank you for all the comments: I will take PezBerry as far as it was asked to be taken (did that make sense?), sorry for being drunk last post, I remember writing the chapter but not the authors note... I also remember the discussion with my mother and so does she... awkward haha!**


	8. Bonding and Blowing things up

**AN: sorry for the wait. And I know this is Pezberry but any Faberry fans out there; obviously there are a load of great zombie fics out there but two I would definitely recommend are:**

**I think the kids are in trouble**** by ****WonderousPlaceForAnEcho****  
><strong>/s/7917653/1/I_think_the_kids_are_in_trouble this one started recently, it's very in depth, a great read

**As the world comes down**** by ****buffyTheGleekslayer****  
><strong>/s/7099362/1/as_the_world_comes_down this one is on hiatus due to lack of response but I think it's really great

**So check them out if you haven't already!**

**Posted: 18/3/12**

Bonding and Blowing things up

"Everyone ready?" Rachel asked the three bellow her on the ladder

"As we'll ever be" was an answer with a tone of sarcasm from the closest blonde

"Okay, I'll cover you while you climb out, when I last checked the camera, there were 3 in the basement, and two the other side of the door... ready?" one last word to heck

"Yes"

With that final muttered confirmation, Rachel unlocked the door, and threw it open. Milliseconds later and she was grabbing the shotgun off her back and shooting the ankles off the three walking dead she suspected to see. When the body's hit the ground she shot them again, completing the kill

That was when she could finally climb out the hole. As the coast was currently clear she was able to help pull Quinn out behind her, who turned to help Brittany before Rachel could; of course Rachel got to Santana before either of the other two. The Latina muttered a subtle 'thank you' once she was safely on her feet.

"Right Take these" Rachel rushed out passing a car key to Brittany and Santana "Santana take alpha, Brittany take Beta, sit there with the engines running as soon as we are with you floor it okay. I'll get the garage door as we enter the garage"

The two nodded in understanding Rachel then turned to Quinn "You're going to help me"

"Okay"

There weren't many words between the four (except for Rachel) but why would there be at a time like this.

The unholy trinity followed behind Rachel until they got to the top of the basement stairs. "Brittany take the door handle and yank it open so you're behind the door until I say" Rachel ordered, and the blonde complied.

"okay, now" as the door revealed the Berry front family room with a few staggering pale skinned carcasses. Rachel dropped to a knee while Quinn and Santana stayed standing; they naturally worked together, picking different targets and taking down all they could see.

"This is where we part" Rachel actually looked nervous as she gazed at Santana "Y-you two be careful"

"You two as well" Santana half smiled, half smirked as if to say 'we got this shit'

"Take care Brittany... S" she nodded to the Latina once she tore her hazel eyes from the brilliant blue ones

"See you in a minute yeah?"

"Of course Brittany" Rachel nodded.

At that point the four split off Brittany and Santana heading for the cars, Rachel and Quinn heading for... where ever the heck Rachel was heading

"It's good to breath fresh air" Quinn whispered hating the silence

"I can agree with that, it gets a little cramped down there; my fathers and I would spend whole weeks down there in the summer just to get used to it"

"So that odd week in the last two summers when you were never around for glee stuff, you were down there"

"Yeah, not in New York City like I said" she chuckled as she pressed her back to the wall next to the kitchen door, signalling for Quinn to do the same

The blonde nodded in understanding before mirroring Rachel's actions.

"Three" Rachel mouthed

"Two" Quinn mouthed

"One" together

They turned synchronised kicking the door way in and unleashing hell on whatever stand (or crawl) on the other side

...

As Santana sat in the driver's seat (gun shots echoing in the back ground); she stared through her side view mirror at the open door, waiting for Rachel and Quinn. She was worried that she'd see a zombie stagger through that door before her friend or... other friend. She sighed and tapped the steering wheel with the palm of her hands , checked her hair in the rear view mirror, glanced around the car then to the one next to her.

Basically she did anything to keep herself busy. As she looked over at car Beta she saw Brittany (obviously) just staring at the steering wheel in front of her. The Latina was looking back at the dash board noticing (again) the intercom system... she wondered. She flipped the on switch and looked back at the other car "B?"

Immediately the blonde's attention went to the dash board within her own car "San?"

"Yeah" they both looked at one another and smiled "How's it going?"

"I'm scared" she admitted, sadness in her eyes yet a brave smile on her face

"You're my best friend right?"

"Of course San"

"I'm going to be here for you"

"Thanks, I'm here for you two"

"Britt you need to tell Quinn; soon"

"You need to tell Rachel; _soon_"

"I know"

...

Rachel spotted one stumbling quick on the blondes right "Quin-" she didn't need to warn her though

Quinn took out her 10mm pistol and shot it square between the eyes "What?" she turned to the brunette aggravated, thinking that when Rachel said her name she was trying to distract her rather than warn her

"Holy shit Quinn, where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"Holy shit Berry did you just swear?" the blonde smirked back.

Rachel playfully rolled her eyes before turning back to the task at hand; finding under which floor panel the activation switch was

"What are you looking for anyway?" Quinn asked keeping her feet firmly planted on the floor, waiting for anymore to walk through the door or climb through the smashed window behind her

"I'm going to detonate the house the same way I did the car?"

"I'm assuming the others in the bunker will be okay"

"Yeah the explosion is designed to blow upwards, so we will have to get the hell out of here fast" Rachel was relieved to finally find the removable floor tile, finding the detonator underneath "You see, the explosion will warn off the closer living dead but will attract those further away, so we'll have a window, _hopefully,_ to get everyone out while the areas clear"

"You don't have to explain to me Berry, I'm trust you"

"Good to know _Fabray_" she turned one of the dials, one of the many things she'd have to do to arm the device "Before anything else though, I'd really like to know how you learned to shoot like that"

"I don't think you'd believe me" she chuckled humourlessly

"Well Santana's daddy used to take her to the shooting range, I've been training for many years; what's your story?" Talking actually relaxed Rachel, she was able to concentrate better by being reassured that someone was there with her.

"Well when I moved back in with my mom, we tried lots of things, from playing cards to... well we were going to get rid of my dads unlicensed gun collection, instead, she well licensed a few and we went shooting; it actually bonded us"

Rachel almost laughed, then wondered if the blondes parents had been like her own fathers; believers in the Zombie apocalypse "Where's your mom now, Quinn?"

"She went to visit my sister, in Chicago, I tried texting her in the car on the way here but, I didn't get a reply, my phones dead now so I have no idea where she is"

"You could have used the land-" *Bang* she shot the arm off another walking dead as it stumbled near the back doorway, it faltered before stumbling forward again and Quinn blasted the living corpse full of lead finally killing it. "As I was saying you could have used the land line, the phone in the bunker"

"I was too afraid, I don't want to find out... that what has probably happened has happened"

"I'm sorry Quinn, I'll do my best"

"Don't"

"Don't what?"

"Don't put even more pressure on yourself, I can accept the worst, I can accept that this might be it, that we might be the only other uninfected we ever see but... I can accept it" she wiped a single tear that had fallen with the back of hand "Now" she sniffed clearing her mind "How far are you with that thing?"

"Nearly done, I'll just set the timer. I'll put the longest timer on it that's possible"

"And how long is that?" Quinn was breathing shakily whilst back on high alert

"It's long enough"

"Please, Rachel; I'm going to be running for my life, I'd like to know how long I've got"

"30 seconds" she cringed; waiting for some hysterical remark

"Okay, 30 seconds" Quinn exhaled, seemingly preparing mentally

"Get ready" she slipped a switch, turned a few things "I'm going to count us down from three"

"So three, two, one?"

"Yes"

"So we go on one or after one"

"I will be switching it on at one so run for the garage okay?"

"Okay"

"3...2...1"

On the announcement of that last number Quinn sprinted out the kitchen, **(30) **Rachel on her heels, both girls gripping their guns tightly till their knuckles turned white. As the door was thrown open they came face to face with another walking dead. Quinn may have let out a shrill shriek (although she'll deny it) before squeezing the trigger and letting the wandering corpse explode into fleshy goo in front of her. **(26)**

And again they were off across the living room; Rachel shot the one standing by the front door as they passed it to get to the garage **(24)**. They slipped through the door, to the concrete floored room containing the two army type jeeps. The engines already grumbling the drivers ready to go **(22) **the short brunette slammed her fist on the garage door button on the wall and ran to the car; licence plate Alpha.

Quinn was already in her seat, in car Beta, as the garage door was halfway up, Rachel a millisecond in timing behind her. **(19)** "Floor it!" Rachel ordered although both Santana and Brittany knew what they were doing "Britt turn right, we'll be behind you" she could see the intercom light was on telling her it was on **(16)**

"Okay Rach" her innocent voice making the shorter brunette smile before guilt would settle in

The two cars filed down the street one behind the other, the engines revving loudly as they sped away. **(15) **They manoeuvred round an abandoned car, car Alpha then heard a screech over the intercom. The blondes screaming became clear when car Alpha ran over the corpse splattered across the road; Car Beta had just hit it.

Santana and Rachel thought back to the other day when the same thing happened to them in Rachel's Lexus **(5)**

Rachel was relieved when they reached the end of the road in time "4, 3, 2, 1" she counted down in time for the earth shaking boom. She hoped those underneath the explosion weren't too startled but she knew if she'd told them they would have forced their way out and that could have been messier; this way was more systematic.

Rachel figured (like when she blew up her car) it warded off zombies in the vicinity but attracted those further away. From the size of the explosion the area would be swarmed in an hour but the house would be clear long enough to help them into the cars. It was a crazy plan, obviously, but that's just how the situation was.

"We'll turn back now" Rachel called out for Santana and the other two over the intercom

On there way back down towards Rachel's... well not her house exactly but where her house had once stood, the two darker haired girls over heard simple words from the other car

"I'm really glad you're okay Quinn, I got worried when I heard the guns going off"

"I was worried about you too Britt"

"You were?" you could hear her happiness

"Yeah, I really was" they heard some shuffling, not knowing it was where Quinn had placed her hand over Brittany's which was clutching the gear stick in between them. Brittany let go to entwine her fingers with Quinn's they shared a comforting gaze (before the driver had to return her eyes to the road.

Back in car Alpha Rachel was staring longingly at the side of Santana's head. Meanwhile the Latina was lost in her own thoughts, eyes on the road.

They were leaving the only safe place they knew, they would be looking after the rest of their friends and all Rachel could think about is how much she wished she had the guts to tell the Latina exactly how she felt.

**Sorry it took so long**

**Let me know what you think :/**


	9. Searching

**AN: just to say sorry for the wait, and you can thank xtreme for them asking me to update this twice in reviews for another story. So xtreme this is for you.**

**Thanks for reviewing: wolflikeme, emmacancook, thatdamnyank, TrustInFaith, Ladygogo, General Mac, charisma28, ladygoddess8, BrokenDreams03 and anon.**

**Also anyone who isn't reading ****Gleek1990****'s ****Secret Sky****, go check it out now!**

**Posted: 22/4/12**

Searching

"Where the hell are they?" Rachel yelled, she was standing in the hole that used to be the basement waiting for the rest of the survivors to release the door from the inside. Rachel had told them to release the door once she sent the message down using the still intact intercom. She's spoken to Puck, so what was the hold up?

"Ah, Rach" Santana called from the real ground level "I'm going to need another gun up here"

"Quinn can you assist Santana, I need to be here-"

"No need for the speech Berry" She held out a hand to stop Rachel speaking and was soon climbing up the makeshift staircase made of rubble cradling her shotgun.

Suddenly the grinding and squeaking of metal broke Rachel from her worry. Brittany stood with her waiting to assist Rachel and the others

They'd Set Santana up near the two cars as a look out, and obviously she'd spotted something when she asked for help.

"Finally" Rachel breathed, pulling the trap door open, before moving round to help them out. Puck was first with Beth tucked into his hoody, held close to his front "What the heck took you so long"

"Sorry" he sighed "_Someone_ had to change their underwear, after the explosion" he rolled his eyes as he climbed out of the hole. Behind was Finn, who avoided eye contact with Rachel but did look around only slightly confused as to why it was so bright outside

He turned round to then help Artie who was being carried by Sam. He held onto him while Sam then climbed up and took the wheel chair from the Mike behind him.

"Where's the house?" Finn suddenly asked still holding Artie

"I blew it up" Rachel answered not sure why he couldn't figure it out

"Dumb ass" Puck muttered, offering a hand to Mercedes as she climbed out for the hole "That's probably the noise that made you shit your pants"

Finn looked ashamed "Oh thanks man! You couldn't keep-"

"Okay none of that" she didn't need them to argue it already felt like them against the world "Finn, you and Artie are both in Alpha with me" she instructed

They didn't let the ringing out gun shots from the short haired blonde and Latina who had run a little further up the road to destroy the walking dead with their shot guns more efficiently

"Which ones that?"

"Just read the licence plate" She sighed, the plates said Alpha and Beta how could it be so hard "Sam, you're in Beta" She told the blonde as he walked up the rubble steps with Artie's chair. He nodded that he heard and got on with the task of helping "Brittany, Blaine, Kurt, Emma and Will; you're all in Alpha, Britt up front with me" she instructed as she helped pull Emma out of the shaft to the sanctuary

"Rachel We gotta go!" she heard Santana yell from further away before hearing more gun shots

"The rest are in car Beta with Quinn and Santana leading" she yelled telling those around her to go to the car

She made sure Mike, Tina, Sam, Mercedes, Puck, Beth all were safely in the back of army jeep Beta and the door was safely closed. She saw Quinn climb into the passenger seat up front and assumed Santana was getting in the other side. She ran over to the other car and stood guard, as they finished loading the car of people.

It took them a bit longer because they had to load Artie in first. The boy was slightly embarrassed, he felt like a nuisance.

Rachel watched up the road, the area where Quinn and Santana had been shooting. She saw in the distance a few undead stumbling towards them; she then looked at a few, lying still in the road. She recognised a couple of them, children, young children, who lived on the road.

She shook her head of those depressing thoughts, there were 15 people relying on her. She secured the back door once her passengers were inside and ran round to the passenger side of the car. She quickly got in closing the door behind her "Okay Britt-" she stopped when she looked to the driver's seat and a nervous yet still smirking Latina was looking back at her

"Sorry Berry, Brittany decided to swap"

"Oh right"

"_Sorry Rach"_ Brittany said over the radio intercom _"What happens now?"_

"We're going to head to the coordinates on the GPS on the car. But the plan is to stop at your houses along the way, look for family. But please be careful" Rachel begged

"_We're splitting up?"_ Quinn asked, she sounded a little concerned, but ready to take on whatever responsibilities necessary

"Yes, we won't cover the ground we want to fast enough otherwise. We don't want to be out when it's dark so head for the next sanctuary when the alarm in the car goes off. If you take care of that car it will take care of you" Rachel told them "please stay safe"

"_We will"_ Quinn said confidently

"If for whatever reason we aren't there, wait three days, plan and prepare to move on. But wait at least Three days!" she stressed

"_Okay Rachel"_ Brittany still managed to keep that innocent voice, but she hadn't even had to kill anything yet, so how long would it last.

"Good luck"

"_What is it they say on Broadway, break a leg?"_ Quinn offered back

"Yeah, be careful" Rachel muttered simply. Santana and Brittany both started the cars and headed off in different directions

"Where first?" Santana asked

"Um, Blaine?" She asked into the car behind them "What's your situation?"

"My Brother is in LA, but my mom should have been at home" he said quickly

"Blaine's first" Rachel decided as it was closest

...

"Stay here" Rachel instructed, jumping out of the car as it pulled up outside Blaine's house

Santana sighed before opening her car door

"She said stay here" Finn said from behind the driver's seat

Santana didn't say anything. But like she was going to listen to Rachel and let the brunette charge into the unknown of Blaine's house.

"Rachel Wait up" Santana called out as she jogged to catch up

"I told you to stay in the car"

"You know that's not happening..." she trailed off as they reached the front door... it was open just slightly.

Both held their breath as Rachel nudged the door open with her foot. As the door swung open it revealed... nothing, just the normal house as it had been before

They looked at each other and nodded, reading each other as they cautiously ventured into the seemingly empty house. The front living space was clear, so they headed to a door to the back room, as soon as this door was opened... well they could smell it before they saw the blood.

They had expected the worst but nothing could prepare them for the horrific sight hidden behind the kitchen counter. There was nothing they could do, they were too late.

"How are we going to tell Blaine?"

"I don't honestly know" Rachel uttered, the idea hurting her inside.

Before they could dwell on these thoughts blood curdling screams could be heard from the back yard. They headed through the dining area to get to whoever was screaming.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

Three shots rang out before they made it only worrying them further

They broke the back door down and there in the back yard they found; Blaine stood crying over a collapsed corpse, it was already pale the eyes cloudy but it had fresh gunshot wounds to the torso.

"Blaine?" Rachel asked delicately

"He was on Emma" he explained crying "pushed her to the ground, he was trying to bite... claw"

"Blaine" Rachel said softly putting an arm around the boy

"It's my dad"

"No, no" Rachel tried to calm him.

Emma stood still, that same petrified shocked state she'd been in since the beginning of all this

"I shot my dad" he erupted into real tears

"He was already gone" Rachel hushed him "Get back to the car, okay, hold Kurt, you still have Kurt, go to him" she gently turned him in the right direction

Once he was out of ear shot she sighed and then approached the stunned, un armed woman. After the few words Will had got from her she hadn't spoken again. She made the red head connect eyes with her "Emma, Emma, listen to me, did he bite or scratch you"

"N-" she shook her head "N- n- no" she finally got the single word out

"Are you sure?" Rachel said firmly

"What are you doing?" Will appeared from round the house, jogging up to Emma

"She got attacked!"

"You don't need to talk to her like that!" Emma was immediately in Will's arms, he held her close as she shivered

"Teacher time is over Will, you have no authority over us. Rachel know what she's doing" Santana defended

"I need to make sure she hasn't been infected, if she has she's a risk to all of us" Rachel explained "What was she even doing out of the car?"

"She got scared, she just ran"

"And you sent Blaine after her?"

"He volunteered"

"You coward, Emma is your responsibility, you should have come after her, Blaine shouldn't have had to be the one to pull the trigger on his dad!" Rachel yelled

"He got here first!"

"You shouldn't have let him. Grow up Will" Santana was going to stand by Rachel until the end

"Now everyone get back to the car" Rachel ordered

Once she knew the back seat passengers were secure she was back in the car herself in the front passenger seat next to Santana

"I'm so sorry Blaine" She didn't look back, she could already hear him snivelling "I'm so, so sorry"

"I thought I was ready to accept this, I thought I'd mentally prepared to myself for the worst b-but..." he just let out a sob.

Rachel couldn't imagine that feeling, of being the one to pull the trigger on someone you love. She really hoped she'd never had to do it.

Rachel also couldn't imagine what Blaine would be like if he'd seen the mess inside, his mother gutted like a fish, laying stone cold on the kitchen floor, a puddle and smeared blood surrounding her on the cupboards, walls and floors... even some on the ceiling.

When they saw the walking corpse Blaine had just ended and the blood on the arms, hands, and face, they assumed he'd probably been the one to kill her, eat her even

Rachel figured that they'd feast the fresh ones first, and when those ran out they'd eat each other. Just another worry for Rachel, they would be hunted...

...

Next stop was for Kurt, they pulled up outside the tire shop and again the street was deserted.

"Right" Rachel turned to the other passengers "This time, hold onto Emma, none of you are to leave this vehicle, understand. And keep quiet in case there are some..." she hated the word it sounded so juvenile like out of a video game "Zombies" she sighed "in the vicinity, so you don't want to draw attention to the car"

"Who's going in?" Finn asked

"You and Kurt must not go near that building" Rachel stated "No matter what I don't want you near it"

They both nodded, actually understanding.

"I'm going with you Rachel" the Latina didn't really need to say it but she did

"Okay, but no one else" they all muttered responses to let her know they'd heard.

Santana and Rachel got out of the car, scanning the area near them, it was all clear. The empty streets, was actually quite unnerving for Rachel and Santana. When they'd driven to that place and rescued Beth the streets had been crawling, but other than the few by Rachel's house and the one at Blaine's, everywhere had been deserted... and it was scary.

"Just thinking, is there anything here we might be able to use" Santana suggested

"Well the cars are our life line, but I don't think we can take on too much more equipment" Rachel explained "we don't want the extra weight, with the supply's in the container on the roof and under the seats and floors"

"Okay... how are we doing this?"

"Cautious, I think" Rachel decided as they reached one of the garage doors, all the doors were closed, sealed, so that could have been a good sign.

Rachel effortlessly unlocked the door and pried it open "Ready?" she whispered

"Yep" was Santana's short answer. She readied her gun and Rachel slid the door open, her worst fears dissipated, it was empty.

"We should check the back rooms" Rachel pointed, gesturing for Santana t follow.

They avoided all the tools and machinery in the room, not wanting to bash into or knock something over and create an alerting noise.

The back rooms were empty too, they were about to leave, hoping that they might find survivors at the Hummel/Hudson house instead but something caught Santana's eye in the dark office off to the side

"Um, Rach?" She quietly called over

"Yeah"

"I found them" she said sadly just looking at the sight before her.

Rachel was soon next to her, looking at the same heart breaking scene "Oh... more bad news"

"Let's get out of here" Santana muttered closing the office door, respectfully giving the dead some privacy "What do we tell them?" She asked as she and Rachel wandered back through the work shop

"They left us with dignity and with someone they love" Rachel said. It was the nicest possible thing to say... and partially the truth.

When they were back in the car they were silent.

"Is it bad?" Kurt chocked back a sob as he still head his boyfriend

"I'm sorry" Rachel said, there were tears in her eyes, she knew both the people who'd passed in that room, very well. She sometimes felt closer to Burt and Carol than to her own, often absent, parents. Rachel took her hand across the console

"They... they went with dignity, and with each other" Santana said strongly

"Let's head to the next destination" Rachel muttered as she heard three people in the back snivelling while most likely holding one another

"Where?"

"Arties"

"Okay" Santana had to reluctantly let go of Rachel's hand to start the car and started on their way to the next destination.

They wouldn't ever speak of what they saw, Burt and Carol slumped together. The gash and dried blood on her arm evidence she'd been bitten, the bullet hole through her head evidence Burt had used the Pistol in his hand to end her. And then the bullet through his own skull proof that he'd committed suicide, as if he'd seen no other options.

They would stay there, that office their tomb, their hands entwined, together forever.

Kurt and Finn didn't need to know how it ended, the few words they had used to explain were for the best.

There only option was to keep moving


	10. Hold Her

**AN: Sorry, it's been a while**

**Posted: 7/5/12**

Hold Her

Santana couldn't sleep; she just stared into the darkness ahead of her. Today had been emotional, especially for Rachel, who was crying in the cot next to her. She kept looking at the far wall, Rachel behind her. She wasn't sure what to do

Today was a lot to take in, Rachel was being so strong for all of them and Santana was trying to be there for her, but right now, she just wasn't sure what to do.

Rachel was lying there, behind her, her crying like a whisper and Santana was frozen to her cot.

Rachel had lost her home today. The others their houses would stand for sometime still. No one was actually sure what would happen to their homes but they were still there, Rachel's was gone, she'd lost that security, for some crazy plan to get them out safely.

The Latina knew Rachel would take on guilt after they'd stopped at every house and had no luck. They'd found blood and some... remains, at a couple of houses, in others nothing at all. Neither of those things seemed like good things though.

And then there was the two they had lost just moments ago, this was all too much in such a little amount of time.

Santana couldn't take the muffled whimpers anymore. She climbed out of her bed and stepped across the small gap to Rachel's.

She didn't say anything she just grabbed the corner of the blanket draped over the trembling brunette and carefully peeled it back.

Rachel's breath hitched and her body froze as the cooler air hit her back. Santana didn't falter though she slipped into the bed behind Rachel and pulled the blanket back over both of them. She slipped her arms round the shorter girl and held her close

Flashback

Hours before

The Alpha car met the Beta car before they reached their rest stop for the night. Santana followed Rachel's directions, more accurate than the ones on the car's gps map system, towards what looked like a warehouse

The passengers were silent in both cars and Rachel and Santana had shared few words with Brittany and Quinn over the car's radio also; just a few simple instructions.

As they pulled up to the garage door entrance of the warehouse Rachel muttered "This place isn't as high tech as my dad's place. I have to get the door" and with that and a brief scan of the surrounding streets she got out of the slowly moving jeep and ran to the doors.

She searched around the door and under a poorly placed rock found a key to unlock the side door.

That did nothing to reassure the others that the 'safe house' was safe; if the key was so easy to find.

Soon the garage was slowly raised for Santana and Brittany to drive the cars in. Once they were in Rachel was able to lower the doors again using the simple pulley chain system.

The bottom half of the warehouse was a hollow floor space. In the corner was a stair case against the wall to the upstairs area.

"Everyone head up the stairs" Rachel instructed as she opened up the back of the two jeeps for her class mates/teachers to get out

They all moves silently, just the occasional muttered apology as someone bumped into another, the occasional glance from person to person, and the occasional babbling noise from a surprisingly calm Beth was heard throughout the time it took to move them all upstairs.

Once up there and both cars locked Rachel used another pulley system to raise the metal frame stair case off the floor like an old drawbridge

"You weren't kidding when you said this wasn't high tech" Santana startled Rachel as the smaller girl wasn't aware that the Latina was still with her "Sorry" she muttered

"No, I just thought you'd already gone through" she pointed to the door behind them

Santana just nodded as there wasn't really anything to say.

Rachel then led the Latina through to the actual safe house, living area where the rest of their group were waiting. Once Santana was in too she was able to secure the heavy duty door

"Um" she started, Santana didn't think she'd ever seen Rachel look so sad, so broken. "There should be food in the cupboards over there, only take what you really need... we need to leave some stuff in case there are others..." she trailed off, hating the words coming from her own mouth

Santana used her initiative; there was a map of the facility on the wall. It was bigger than the Berry's bunker but that wasn't surprising "Looks like it's two to a room" she told them "And there's a few extra beds in here" she turned and pointed to the wall where she presumed the beds would pull down from "So Q, Beth, Puck and B should take this area" she told them.

She wasn't discrete, she didn't see the point. She wanted to see her best friend happy so she wasn't going to let Brittany get separated from Quinn when people chose their rooms.

Santana watched as people started going through cupboards for food and water and then leaving for the separate rooms. She was broken from her watchful gaze by someone trying to talk to her Rachel

"Um, Rach, I was wondering" that tall oaf was always wondering "If you wanna share a room with me"

"Huh?" she looked up at him, her eyes still distant "What did you say Finn?"

"I asked if we could share a room"

"Oh" she kept the word short "I probably won't-"

"She'll be sharing with me Finn" Santana finally butted in, not feeling the need to insult him

"Oh... okay" he mumbled "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure Finn" Rachel said in a flat tone and nodded

"O-Kay" the tall boy eyed Santana suspiciously; he didn't like the way Santana was getting so close to Rachel all the time. And he didn't like the way he'd interrupted them

The Latina always seemed to be following Rachel round lately and it didn't sit well with him. He worried for the little diva's safety and he didn't trust Santana.

"Bye Finn" Santana waved him off. Woken from his thoughts by Santana he was actually able to make his feet work and joined the others, trying to find another room mate

The short Brunette turned to Santana's direction "Thanks for that Santana" Rachel muttered, her eyes were to the floor "I can't deal with him right now"

"I'm surprised you ever dealt with him" she muttered back for the sake of some humour. She was sure she saw a smile tug at Rachel's lips

"Well thank you... for that and your assistance today"

"I already told you, you're not alone Rachel. I'm here to help you; you can't take on all the responsibility"

Rachel nodded but still didn't meet the other girls eyes "I want to talk with Brittany and Quinn... just so we know what happened"

"Okay, well lets get our room and we can all talk in there okay?" She asked delicately and again Rachel just nodded

Santana sent Rachel off to find whatever room was left while she got her two best friends.

The four gathered in a room with two single cots in it. Quinn and Brittany sat on one bed facing Rachel and Santana who sat on the other. Lord Tubbington sat on Brittany's lap... wait? Lord Tubbington? When did they... oh I guess they'd find out in a minute

Rachel and Santana had just finished their tale from Blaine shooting his father in his back yard when Emma was attacked up to leaving Burt's tire shop

"They were there" Quinn swallowed nervously "Burt and Carol were just there"

"Yeah, you can't tell Kurt of Finn though... I don't think I'd want to know how my parents went... not like this, not with what's out there" Santana thought out loud

"Arties, we found no one. Will had no one to find anyway. Emma's parents were in town... they're not anymore" Rachel reeled off the information like it was a list

"As in?" Quinn was hesitant to ask

"Presumed dead" Santana muttered "if the blood was any indication where they were staying"

"What about you two?"

"Mike said he had got through to his dad, his parents might have got away. Sam's the place was packed up... I really want to hope good things for his younger brother and sister..."

"Mercedes we found zombies" Brittany continued after the other blonde had trailed off "But it wasn't Mercedes mom and dad. Tina's..."

"Tina's were... we found" Quinn's face seemed to go paler than normal "We found, parts of them"

"Oh" Rachel was lost for words. She knew it'd be bad but... well what could you say "And Puck"

Quinn just shook her head sadly

"No one was there" Brittany added

"So no luck?" Rachel asked, already knowing the answer

"No" Brittany muttered the unnecessary answer

"Well, we found Lord Tubbington" Quinn shrugged

"No Quinn found him. He was under my bed" she squeezed the cat tightly and gazed at Quinn with a look of adoration. This didn't go unnoticed by Santana and Rachel, but did by the object of the taller blondes affections.

"I reached under and he clawed me" the bite in Quinn's words gave the hint that she wanted to call the damn fat cat some awful name but deterred for Brittany's sake. She pulled her sleeved up to reveal red claw marks on her forearm

"You should put some antiseptic cream on that" Rachel told her. She sounded somewhat anxious "I know the skins only grazed but you should be careful. Maybe wrap it too when we go out, just in case" she added

"Okay" Quinn hinted a smile, that didn't reach her eyes, in thanks for the shorter brunettes concern "I'll do that"

The two blondes took that as their cue to leave. Brittany escaped first but Santana quickly pulled Quinn back in the doorway "What happened to B's parents, you didn't let her go in there" she whispered harshly

"Of course not, I'm not an idiot. I tried to go in alone-"

Santana scoffed "And you say you're not an idiot"

"-but Sam wouldn't let me. So he went with me... when we got there... I had to shoot her parents San" she said sadly "They'd turned"

"As long as you didn't tell B how they went"

"She knows they're gone" Quinn said reluctantly "She told me she thought they already had so she wasn't surprised... she surprises me all the time" Quinn thought out loud "But no, I didn't give her the details"

"Good... I guess" Santana nodded

"Is she going to be okay?" Quinn asked with genuine concern as she gestured with a nod of the head to Rachel who looked so distant

"I hope so" the Latina muttered

"I hope so too" Quinn added before leaving

.

Later that night as Rachel folded her day clothes and left them on the simple dresser she was startled by blood curdling screaming. On instinct she grabbed her shotgun and 9mm pistol and ran from the room

As she ran toward the room the screaming was coming from others started opening their bedroom doors, looks of terrified concern in their eyes and weapons in there shaky untrained hands

"Stay in you rooms" she told them. She heard her words echoed behind her, making her instantly realise that Santana was right behind her as usual

It wasn't until she reached the last room she could tell who was screaming-

Suddenly he stopped, he stopped making that noise and everyone who had ignored her instructions to stay in their rooms was in the corridor watching waiting, with held breaths.

Quinn, Brittany, Puck and even Beth in her dad's arms stood the other side of Rachel

"Will everyone please back up" Rachel asked irritated. They shuffled but not as much as she'd of liked.

With a sigh and Santana on her side they pushed the door open.

The light from the slowly opening door, crept into the room, to reveal a misty eyed, usually doe eyed OCD school councillor. She was chewing on the shoulder of an ex living human who's head now lay on the floor... not on the cot the rest of his corpse lay still on. Spread out like an all you can eat buffet for one turned Emma Pillsbury

The cloudy eyed walking dead stopped chewing his bloody shoulder to look up at the intruder it the door way. She pulled her mouth away, leaving her mouth and chin dripping with blood. She made a gurgling breathing noise as she tried to stumble to her feet

*Bang*

Before she could move another inch Rachel blew her head off and pulled the door closed quickly.

As the short brunette tried to calm herself, and try to let what had just happened sink in, the space around her filled with noise of questions and a child's crying

"What happened?"

"Are they dead?"

"Who was in there"

Some of the questions asked, all quiet easy to answer questions, they could have answered them themselves but no one was thinking and Rachel's head was filling, how could this have happened, she couldn't figure it out, why are there so many people, too much noise-

"Shut up!" Santana yelled getting everyone's attention "Just go back to your rooms, all of ya. This one is off limits" she shooed them all away.

Once the hall was mostly clear she tried to revive Rachel from her thoughts "Rachel, is there a key to lock this door" she only asked because she noticed a locking mechanism at the top"

"Um, maybe, by the wall with the map"

"Okay, go back to our room, I'll meet you there"

.

The Latina located the key and locked the door so no one would go in there. She was sure no one would be coming out of that room, both... victims had their heads destroyed/severed so there was no way they were coming back

She got back to their room putting her gun down on the dresser next to Rachel's small collection, she then turned to the short brunetter

She found Rachel sat on the edge of her cot, and repeating to herself "It's all my fault, it's _all_ my fault"

"Rachel" Santana knelt in front of the shorter girl "listen to me" the brunette wouldn't even look her in the eye so she cradled Rachel's face with one of her hands, tilting the girls head so she could look into those deep chocolate orbs "This isn't your fault" she said firmly "Emma disobeyed your orders, Will didn't do the right thing when it would have mattered. You are not responsible"

"I am though, I'm supposed to know what I'm doing, I'm supposed to protect you all"

"We don't expect you to Rach. Just because your dads tried to prepare you doesn't mean you know what you're doing and you shouldn't think that we expect you to do anything. And I hate having to say this again, but I'm here for you, you got that"

"Okay" Rachel nodded weakly

"Okay" Santana said calmly "Now let's try and get some sleep"

"Okay" Again she nodded weakly before trying to settle down for the night

End Flashback

"It's okay Rachel" Santana whispered "I've got you"

Rachel turned in the taller girls embrace, while still sniffling, she snuggled closer into the Latina's embrace

"I'm here for you" she whispered, cradling Rachel and hoping eventually they'd both get some sleep

**Sorry just a short chapter**

**So two are dead... what do we think?**

**I'm going to leave the poll on my profile page up a bit longer so if you haven't voted yet you might want to. I'm not sure how many I will kill off but they won't be in the top half, that I can guarantee. So vote now before I kill the next one off ;)**


	11. She likes you Back

**AN: Thanks for reviewing and the constructive criticisms/suggestions: amazinglife18, Lovers Lymric Passions Poet, aquarius127, charisma28, frustratedwriter13, TrustInFaith, SoFlaComet, General Mac, Becca **(that's a dark suggestion even for this story lol)** and butterz09. Also thanks to those of you who voted, keep them coming :)**

**Also I think there's been some influence from Gleek1990 and her fic Secret Sky, the influenced bit is tiny and not initially intended but I'm just covering myself.**

**Posted: 10/5/12**

She likes you Back

Light gradually flooded through the skylight into the room the next morning, gently waking Rachel. Her eyes still felt tired from the crying last night so she kept them closed. It took her a moment to realise she was still being held. She could feel soft, calmly paced breathing against the top of her head, two strong arms round her shoulders. Her own hand was fisted into the t-shirt of the other person

She actually managed to sleepily smile to herself as she remembered that she had, eventually, got some sleep with the help of Santana's comfort.

Rachel decided to just lie there, in the other girls arms, pretending to still sleep so she could savour the contact that the Latina could choose to take away at any moment; probably the moment she woke up herself.

Rachel felt sure, despite the comforting hushed words Santana had told her, she only held her to help her sleep, to stop her crying and making noise so she could get some sleep herself. That was the only logical explanation she could come up with.

She let herself relax and ended up drifting back to sleep.

It must have been only minutes later when Santana stirred from her own slumber. She subtly smiled to herself when she could still hear soft snoring coming from the other girl. It was the exact same soft noise that she had fallen asleep to the night before. It made her happy to know she had been the one to comfort Rachel, that she was able to help the girl sleep simply by holding her.

The tiny bed gave her the excuse to hold Rachel so close, for their bodies to be touching, pressed so closely together.

The Latina found herself wanting to hold the tiny brunette tighter in her arms and never let go, she also found herself wanting to press an innocent kiss to the other girls head that was just below her chin.

But she couldn't let herself do that, she didn't want to get attached forever wanting more than this moment. She couldn't do that to Rachel, Rachel needed support, a friend, not a... girl friend

'_She wouldn't be interested anyway'_ Santana thought to herself. She mentally shook all doubting thoughts away and revelled in what she had for now.

It didn't last long however. She was disturbed by soft knocking then the door being slowly opened

"Oh sorry San" Quinn whispered when she saw one bed empty and then seeing the Latina looking at her with the shorter girl in her arms "Everyone's up... I was just checking" she excused herself and pulled the door closed again

"Q!" Santana harshly whispered to get the blondes attention before the door closed. She ringed when she felt Rachel move in her arms "Hang on" she whispered again. Quinn waited outside with the door pulled to while Santana carefully pried Rachel's hand that was still gripping her t-shirt and slipped one arm out from underneath Rachel, regrettably, so she could talk to Quinn

"I'm sorry" Quinn said again once Santana had slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her "I didn't know you two were now..."

It took Santana a moment with a furrowing brow before she realised what Quinn was getting at "What- No, no we- She was crying and I wanted to comfort her..." she sighed "It wasn't... you know" she muttered, with a hint of disappointment

"Well I feel even more sorry now" Quinn tried for some humour "Are you both okay though?"

"I'm fine, I guess last night hasn't quite hit me yet... and I saw it" that was a worrying though "She hasn't woken yet, I decided to let her sleep while she could"

"Well we all got up, and dressed. We weren't sure what Rachel wanted"

"Okay, I'll uh, I'll talk to her, we'll meet you all in the common area" she turned round to go back into her room when Quinn stopped her

"San?"

"Yeah?" she turned back to her friend

"Are you ever going to tell her?" she kept her voice quiet

Santana pondered for a second "I don't really know"

Quinn just nodded sadly in understanding "Does Brittany like Puck?" she jumped in suddenly with her next question

"What?"

"She made sure she was in the same car as him, she shares a room with us, so I wonder is it Puck she likes" she rambled lowly, just so her friend stood opposite her could here "I don't care if she does, it's not like I want him, I mean we have Beth but that's it and I just want her happy"

"It's not Puck" Santana said as she eyed the short haired blonde opposite her "And she doesn't like someone. She told me very specifically that she's in love with this person" she paused thinking as Quinn just stood there her head bowed avoiding Santana's eyes. "You like her?" Quinn nodded her head subtly, still avoiding eye contact "Like, really like her?"

"Yes, I know it's ridiculous and I feel bad about it because I've had these feelings for so long, I felt so guilty for feeling like this when you and she were together-"

"Quinn" Santana stopped her. She hooked a finger under the blondes chin, bringing those hazel eyes up to connect with her own "Q... I-"

She was cut off by the bedroom door besides them opening abruptly

"Oh, um" Rachel looked between them, Santana's hand still on Quinn's face "Sorry" she said quickly before closing the door again

It wasn't until then that Santana snatched her hand back. Santana sighed "She's gonna think I have a thing for you" she managed to chuckle

Quinn chuckled lightly too "Sorry about that"

"I already told her it wasn't you I liked in the car when we got Beth" Santana explained "She went through all the girls stopping at Tina... so she either thinks I lied when I said it wasn't you or"

"Thinks it's Tina?"

"I guess it doesn't really matter"

"Why wouldn't it matter?" Quinn asked "If-"

Santana stopped her "We weren't talking about me... you like Brittany?"

"Yeah" she was shy again

"When Rachel thought I liked you, like that, she thought I was hesitant because of how much I care for Britt, like a friend" she added "And that I wouldn't try with you because Brittany is in love with you"

Quinn's eyes snapped to the Latina's "It's me that she..." she trailed off not actually capable of saying _that_ word just yet "Really?"

"Yes she really does. Don't ask me why, though" Bitch Santana made a quick appearance because this scene was getting too mushy, she did smirk playfully though.

"I don't understand" she wanted to smile but she just couldn't believe it

Santana folded her arms and furrowed her brow "You don't see it do you? The way she looks at you when you're sitting with Puck and Beth. You should have seen the way she looked at you when she mentioned you saving her damn cat, last night when we all sat in there" she pointed to her and Rachel's room

"How long?"

"I don't know. We talked last summer vacation. She confessed her feelings for you... and I confessed mine for..." she chose not to say in case Rachel could hear "That's when we decided to, well to, agree that it wasn't emotional between us, not anymore. Maybe it was once but after that... we just took comfort in each other" she explained softly.

Quinn actually smiled this time. Everything forgotten, all the worry, all the thoughts of the world falling down around them were gone, because Brittany reciprocated her feelings

"You will be careful, and take care of her"

And then worry was back. Not that she didn't and wouldn't take care of Brittany whether they are actually together or not, but increasing that emotional bond, wouldn't that make everything so much harder... Quinn seemed to think so

"So... are you going to talk to her" Santana tried, silent Quinn was making her uncomfortable

"No" she decided

"Bu-"

"Not yet anyway, I need to think about this first"

"Look" the Latina snapped sternly but kept her voice hushes "don't mess with her, if this is just a crush or attraction then-"

"I love her San" actually saying that word felt amazing, finally getting the truth out was thrilling... well for this girl it was "I know I do... I just need to think, weigh up the pros and cons, to see if it will work"

"This isn't some everyday decision; this is two people, with emotions, my two best friends. I don't want you thinking about this like it's what you're gonna get for lunch. I want you both happy so you should be true to your emotions" and sappy Santana was back "I care about both of you, I want you happy. So _when _you go for it, you're all in, there for her and she'll be there for you... and Beth"

"Okay" she nodded in thought "What about you and...?" she just gestured the door with her head

"Maybe... one day" she smirked "For now I'm going to make sure _she's_ okay. We'll be through in a minute"

As Quinn walked back to the common area she contemplated everything she'd just learnt with everything she was sure of already. Could she had Brittany be happy in this crumbling world-

Her thoughts stopped when she turned the corner and her eyes immediately found Brittany, she was sat on one of the sofas on the far side of the area, Beth sitting quite happily on her lap, looking up at the blue eyed girl. The sweet simple interaction and contact between the blonde teenager and the blonde toddler made them look so happy, so content in their little bubble of innocence, the scene mad Quinn happy too, she could watch that forever

It was then that Quinn made her decision, she wouldn't just pounce on Brittany, well she wouldn't do that in a room full of people anyway, but that wasn't an option for any immediate future. Instead she would bond with the other girl, relax around her, let this feel normal, before she made her move.

.

Back in Rachel and Santana's room:

Santana entered the room with caution... well Rachel may have been changing. She wasn't though, Santana found her sitting on the edge of her bed with her back to the door.

"Hey" Santana said to break the silence

"Hey" She replied quietly

"Did you sleep well?" The Latina asked, moving over to her change of clothes folded on the dresser

"Um... yeah, I slept okay" she wasn't sure what was happening in Santana's mind right now. Was she going to pretend she didn't hold her all night, Rachel didn't want to pretend it didn't happen... but this was Santana we were talking about, her personality could snap back at any moment, and she'd deny it happened, like she could deny so many other things in her life "How about you?"

"Yeah, I managed to get some sleep after all... that"

'_So my crying had disturbed her? Was that what she meant?'_ That idea made Rachel sad

"I'm gonna go get changed in another room" Santana said gathering her clothes and moving back towards the door

"Santana" Rachel turned her head swiftly as she called out the other girls name making her stop with her hand on the door handle "Um..."

"What's up?" she asked softly

"Um..." she wanted to say thank you for holding her, she wanted to talk about that, she chose a different subject "I'm sorry for disturbing you out there"

Santana couldn't help but smile, knowing where this was going

"Although I'm a little offended you lied to me I thought you could trust me"

"I do trust you-"

"You could have told me it was Quinn then"

"It's not Quinn!" Santana tried more sternly "I didn't lie. I just found out she likes Brittany back" she smiled at the happy thought of her friends getting what they want

"She does" Rachel's eyes looked hopeful for the girls too. Was it pathetic or stupid that they were in the middle of all this and all they could think about was sappy romance between people, and knowing they were happy?

"Yeah but I don't know what's going on with them, so don't say anything"

"Of course" Rachel felt a little hurt that Santana though she might blab, but she still wasn't exactly close with these people, so she wouldn't exactly talk to them about these things

"I'm gonna, go" she gestured to the door next to her with her head before slipping out

...

They were soon all gathered in the common area, they sat in the sofas, chairs even tables round the edge of the room while Rachel stood in the middle to address them all. Santana stood on the edge of the gathered circle ready to step in, or assist if she was needed.

"What happened last night?" Quinn had to ask, it was the question on everyone's mind "I mean, we all realise that... Will and Emma are gone but what happened?"

"Emma turned" Rachel stated calmly "She... killed Will, and I shot her"

"Are you sure she's dead?" Mike swallowed thickly as he looked back at the locked door

"I blew her head off, she's not coming back" She said bluntly. She'd spent all night worrying, guilt ridden, in Santana's arms. She couldn't do that again, she couldn't rely on other people like that again, she couldn't put Santana in that situation again, it wasn't fair to do that to someone, to make them uncomfortable like that "It's cliché but true, the best way to stop them is server the head or destroy the brain" she added "So that's what I did"

"I just don't know how this happened... she seemed fine" Mercedes said from the comfort of sam's arms... they'd sorted through the last of their problems so they could appreciate their time together

"Did she even say anything, complain of anything?" Mike asked

Everyone was silent, in though, their minds going back to the night before.

"Actually she looked pale" Tina commented

"She already was pale" Finn said confused

"No she was shaking, trembling more than before, li-" Tina was cut off

"Like a fever" Mercedes practically agreed "I don't get how though"

"When we were at..." Santana trailed off

"It was at my house, it must have been" Blaine stepped in to explain, knowing why Santana had stopped speaking "When she got attacked in the back yard, he- _It_ must have got her"

"When we got back to the car, when you and Rachel weren't there, we tried to get Will to make her talk. We tried to make sure she hadn't got hurt"

"Finn tried but he was a bit rough" Blaine said, the mentioned boy looked down in shame

"No you did right, just maybe didn't handle the situation correctly... with her nervous condition" Rachel added, making the boy smile... to Santana's disliking. She scowled at him which went unnoticed by most.

Most of them just looked to Rachel for direction, just typical that they would now despite arguing against her for all those years before. Everything's different when their lives hang in the balance

"Will assured us that she was fine, but she wouldn't even let us check her arms where she might have got hurt. I mean she was holding it back with her arms and-"

"Blaine it's okay, you all did as best you could" Rachel reassured him comfortingly

"-Will, he stopped us, he told us to leave her" he continued to stress

"Then its Will's own fault" The short brunette said more sternly "We may have not always all get along but we're relying on each other now" she told the whole room "I know this is hard, there's no way to adjust, and you've all lost... people" she added the last part quieter "The point is we need to stick together, and be honest with one another. We can't let that happen again"

"So if we get infected..." Sam didn't like this but he had to ask, it was on everyone's mind

"Don't keep it to yourself" Santana answered. The group nodded in silence

"I hate to ask" Quinn interrupted the silence "But what do we do now, what's next?"

Rachel sighed running her hand through her hair, still damp from her shower that morning "Are we done here?" she asked looking at the group sat round her "Are we done with Lima?" she asked again

"There's nothing left here, is there?"

They were silent, because this meant another big step for them, leaving their home town, leaving the one place they knew they wouldn't get lost and heading out into the further unknown.

**Any thoughts...**


	12. Goodbye Lima

**AN: Thanks for reviewing and ideas: anon, butterz09, amazinglife18, Lilo, MistressDrusilla1860, TrustInFaith, ths3836, SoFlaComet, RadomOtakuFromTumblr, Cyssi, cressey, xtreme, l0vesparks007, juniorpoki, twistarwanabe and General Mac.**

**Posted: 19/5/12**

Goodbye Lima

"Well then, I propose a change of plan" Rachel told the room when they realised there was no reason to still be here, in this town "We're not even 5 miles from where we started, and 2 have lost their lives" she glanced over to the hallway off the common area to the door that hid the bodies.

"So what is this new plan?"

"If my dads and Santana's parents can get to the fort they have a facility set up there that they can use to develop an immunisation"

"Like a cure?"

"Not exactly, it can't be cured the infection eats at the brain destroying it, starting with their human compassion, hence they'll die, with some time. My point is they don't need us there and we all want to be alive"

They all nodded quickly and muttered 'yes' in agreement

"Well you know those underground bases they built for the government to escape to in the event of a nuclear war"

"I remember seeing one on some documentary, those places are huge but don't work because water gets into them. They thought irradiated water would"

"Exactly Tina, so many have been abandoned and not all are known about"

"So you're saying we find one?" Puck asked unsure

"I know of one, well I know of its rough whereabouts" They all looked at the short brunette hoping for some elaboration "Meaning I can get us near it and we'll have to search for the entrance but that beats travelling another several hundred miles"

"What about supplies?"

"Once we get there I have enough in the cars to last a couple of days so we can send scouting parties out" she looked at them hopeful "If we get to Nevada, that's it, we'll be stuck there. What's the difference between us being stuck there or stuck in another place? We could set up our own base, and _when_ we find other survivors we can take them there, there will be enough space"

"So where?"

She paused biting her lip before saying "North of Minneapolis"

"Well that's not as bad as travelling to Vegas" Puck said from next to Brittany who was still holding a fairly calm Beth

"But that's all I know" she added "I know its about north of Minneapolis, about 50 miles or so" she still looked hopeful "My dad's might know more as they were researching but I'd need to try and get in contact with them and I'm not sure when we'll be able to again"

"So this could be a suicide mission?" Artie started with the negative comments

"We could go there for nothing" Kurt asked

"Well if we don't find it we go on to Nevada" she explained

"That's a big if" Mercedes stood up to help voice her opinion... it wasn't really needed though "and a hell of a detour" she looked at the others

Santana stepped forward to back up Rachel but guess who beat her too it "Come on guys Rachel knows what she's doing, we should try this new plan"

"Oh please Finn, she was leading your half yesterday and yet which two died?"

'_Wow when did the mood in here change'_ Santana thought to herself looking between Mercedes and Finn in their standoff, she then glanced over to her side to Rachel and the dropped pale expression on Rachel's face instantly reminded Santana of that vulnerability the tiny brunette had showed unwillingly last night. That's when she jumped in to the rescue

"Back down wheezy" she hadn't spent last night comforting Rachel to have this diva reverse all of it "What happened to those two last night was an accident and in no way anyone's fault except Will and Emma's" she stepped in front of Rachel not liking the way Finn was now looking at her and then refocused on Mercedes "Emma was in a shit place, her mind was fucked and she probably wouldn't have lasted much longer before she had a heart attack or something"

"Santana's right, Rachel gave instructions, Emma wasn't in the right frame of mind and she panicked it was no one's fault" Quinn glanced not so discretely to Blaine who looked down at the reminder of yesterday "Nothing that happened yesterday was anyone's fault, no one did anything wrong or bad"

Santana smiled briefly at her friend stepping into help defend her girl - I mean Rachel "yeah, no one here did anything wrong... and the ones who did paid with their lives" Santana chanced another look to Rachel who was genuinely smiling up at her "And I say we try this... what have we got to lose"

After a tense moment of silence the group nodded and muttered there somewhat reluctant agreement with the Latina

With that Rachel marched over to one of the cupboards. Luckily who ever had built this place had labelled everything, including cupboard doors. She opened the one labelled 'Medical Supplies' and took out a bandage in a plastic wrapper. She turned and tossed it to Quinn, who reacted quickly enough to catch it "Bandage your arm and hand, just to cover it just in case"

"What's wrong with Quinn?" Finn seemed to be genuinely concerned

"Relax Finnderella, I got scratched by _that_ cat" She wasn't falling for it, he already saw the way Santana had stepped in to stop him from trying to share a room with Rachel. She had this feeling he didn't like being alone, where as Artie had become the silent type, he wanted to prove something. He probably wanted Rachel back and as she wasn't interested right now, he'd try something with Quinn

She couldn't have cared less about him, okay maybe that's unfair; they were the only 'alive' humans they'd seen so she cared for him in some respect, but not enough to humour him. Besides she knew Brittany returned her feelings she didn't need to hang on to someone for the attention or even the popularity anymore, she could be herself.

"Okay, everyone grab what we need and meet back here" Santana instructed disturbing the moment of silence

"Noah, I was thinking we could get a spare bed sheet and fashion a sling for you and Beth, so you can hold her and keep your hands free" Rachel suggested another idea

"Sure" he just nodded before taking Beth from Brittany and following Rachel to one of the back rooms. Everyone else also filed out back to gather things from their rooms

.

Once everyone was out of the common area Brittany settled Lord Tubbington on her bed as she grabbed the weapons, she'd selected from the Berry's 'armoury', from under her bed. When she looked up against she saw Quinn sat on her own cot fumbling to wrap the bandage round her arm.

The blue eyed girl smile to herself before picking up her fat cat again before he could wander off and then approached Quinn

"Can I help?" she offered

Quinn only glanced up quickly before conceding to the other girls assistance "Thanks" she muttered offering out her arm.

As Brittany wrapped the bandage round Quinn's arm the blonde with the shorter hair was debating in her head. They both kept their eyes down on the white material covering the cat scratch on her forearm and wrist "Brittany I need to tell you something... about your parents" She said softly

She paused in her movements and muttered quietly "They're dead aren't they?"

Quinn swallowed thickly before answering "Yeah" she whispered, keeping her head down "I'm so sorry"

Brittany finished by tucking the end of the bandage securely away "How?" she looked up trying to meet Quinn's gaze "How did they go?" the short haired blonde shuffled in her place not able to look up. She finally went to open her mouth but Brittany butted in "Please don't lie"

"They... they got infected"

"... and?" she grabbed the lazy lord Tubbington who lay stretched out beside her.

"I- I finished them, I'm sorry I-it was for the best" She couldn't look the innocent girl still clutching the fat cat close to her front, in the eye

"Thank you" she muttered, surprisingly

"What?" That got Quinn to look up, although she immediately regretted it when she saw teary blue eyes looking back at her, peering over the top of a cats head

"Thank you, for doing that... It's better knowing they're gone and not suffering, than not knowing what happened" just like Quinn's situation "I won't hope for them then, they're already in a better place"

"I'm j-just sorry I couldn't get there before" she started to sob

She actually abandoned her fat cat once again in favour of comforting the other girl. She swapped her seat on her bed for one right next to Quinn and securely wrapped her arms round the other girl "It's not your fault, isn't that what you just told everyone else"

"I know but Britt-" she kept her head down "I really wanted to be able to save them"

"Maybe it hasn't hit me yet that they're gone but I mean it when I say thank you Quinn, thank you for putting them out of their misery"

"You're too smart and too of nice person, do you know that?" Quinn said in a tiny voice as she just let herself be held by the taller blonde

How ironic that in this situation it was I comforting Quinn; the one who finished of the others family

Brittany didn't like seeing Quinn like this "Quinn, please don't cry" she whispered, she pulled back a little so she could hook a finger under the other blondes chin and move her head up so she could look into those teary hazel eyes "You're too pretty to cry"

Quinn chuckled then sniffed and wiped her reddening eyes with the sleeve of her hoody, she then glanced up at Brittany again and their eyes really met. Quinn couldn't help but dart a gaze at the other girls lips. The proximity and knowing the truth made it all too tempting to abandon her earlier plans of getting to know Brittany closer and ease into a possible relationship

Brittany felt whatever it was too, she leant in as Quinn did, their eyes drifting closed as they got closer

"Guys I was wondering - Oh shit" Santana cut herself off and turned back quickly. She felt genuinely bad for interrupting what could have become a tender moment

But Quinn and Brittany shyly leant away from each other, the moment was gone

"Um, I better get my stuff" Quinn muttered before getting up and putting more distance between her and Brittany. She was split in her thoughts, on one side was regretting every step she took and wanting to kill Santana a little more, on the other side she was glad, she didn't want to rush anything

Although with what was going on around them, what was rushing things?

.

The lower level of the warehouse was clear, which was a good start to their day, so Rachel was able to send them down to the cars before her while she checked they had everything.

Rachel took a pen from a draw, it looked like a permanent marker of sorts, she then walked over to the locked door which was the nearest bedroom door to the common area and started writing on it

"What are you doing?" Santana asked, they were the only two around the others were still gathering there things

"Leaving a warning on the door, for anyone else who uses this place, so they know they shouldn't go in"

"Is it still dangerous then?"

"As far as we know the... infection, it isn't air born but we can't be too careful" she shrugged, what else could she do

Santana just nodded in understanding "Is that it then?"

"I believe so, have you got everything?"

"I think so" Santana thought out loud, maybe she would have everything she wanted, one day

"We better go then" Rachel said clicking the lid on the marker she used. Santana turned to leave first when Rachel's words stopped her "Thank you"

"For what?" she looked back over her shoulder

"Um" she awkwardly bowed her head and tucked her hair behind her ear "For holding me last night... it helped, so thank you"

"Oh... its fine"

"I hope it didn't make anything awkward or-"

"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to" Santana interrupted smiling at the shorter brunette's sudden shyness

"Well thanks" she smiled back, glad that Santana didn't dismiss that it happened "Come on, we should get out of here"

**So, sorry about this, hardly worth the wait, just some filler. I wanted to change it a bit so I have and this ****should**** be more interesting in the following chapters ...**

**I've got loads of ideas and received some, which conflict but I'll see what I come up with, if you have any ideas, or want to see anything, suggest away **


	13. Infected

**Thanks for reviewing: SoFlaComet, cameronsadrock1, TrustInFaith, xtreme, amazinglife18, beaner008, Cyssi, General Mac, twistarwanabe, ShadowCub**

**This chapter is for TrustInFaith as she did ask me when I was going to update; so here we go**

**Posted: 27/05/12**

Infected

It had been about a week since they left Lima and they weren't even halfway to their destination. Rachel had sat down and carefully planned all their routes, with Santana and occasionally Quinn's assistance; the others seemed to just be sitting around waiting for instructions or something to happen.

The current plan was to avoid as many major cities and built up areas as possible and so far they hadn't found any other human life, well no uninfected human life. That was one reason their journey was taking impossibly long

Another reason was they didn't know roads would get blocked when Rachel had first planned the routes. They would drive down a highway and five miles since the last exit they would find a wall of cars. There was no way to move them out of the way, the mass of abandoned vehicles was too messy for them to find a way to pass. They ended up turning around and driving back. This was happening too often and was adding tension to the silent group.

They had had a few run-ins with those things; but mostly drove through thin crowds during the day and on two occasions had, had to fight their way through a crowd to their bunker for the night.

It wasn't until last night that things went wrong, for the first time since Will and Emma's nasty end in Lima.

Last night

"Puck" Finn whined as he knocked on the bathroom door in this strange house again

The door was yanked open by the boy with the Mohawk "What!" he snapped irritated by his old best friend. But like them all he'd been distracted lately, and being stuck with the same people for a week was starting to grate on all of them

"I need to pee can you hurry up in there?"

"Can't you go somewhere else?" he asked in the same irritated tone

"This is the only bathroom" he explained lowly

"Well you're gonna have to wait; me and Quinn are giving Beth a bath"

"But Puck-"

"Just- Just go outside or something" he said trying to keep his voice low and clam so he didn't upset his daughter behind him

Finn sighed but with a threatening glare from his old friend he reluctantly turned away and headed through the kitchen to the back door.

Puck turned back to his little broken family "Sorry, Finn" he explained, Quinn just nodded not taking her eyes off of their little girl in the shallow warm water.

They had taken an indication paper from Rachel so they could test the water was safe. Then they were able to take care of their daughter.

Puck and Quinn watched over Beth as she slashed in the water

"Quinn? You know that time, us; it was more than just-"

"Don't Puck" Quinn couldn't take it if Puck was going to try something

"No, Quinn, I meant; I cared about you then, I even loved you at one point"

"Are you sure you didn't just say that at the hospital because of everything that happened"

"No, I did... I'm sure of it... my point is, I do still care about you" he admitted "But maybe more like a close friend"

"You're my friend too Puck, I'm not going to take Beth away from you if that's what you're worried about" she smiled as Beth looked up at her joyful.

"No, it's just... if you and Britt ever need some alone time, I'm cool taking Beth out of the way for you two. And for once I won't ask for a threesome" he smirked getting a slap on the arm from the blonde girl

"How did you know? About Britt and me"

"Well the rest of them are kinda distracted but I see it, you two always look at each other, when the other isn't looking" he almost confused himself with that sentence

"Wait, she does?" Quinn was actually surprised

"Please don't tell me you didn't know that she's into you"

"No I know" she ducked her head

"So what are you waiting for?" he looked to her while she just kept her head down and her eyes on Beth

"I don't know"

...

Later that night and Santana, Rachel, Artie and Brittany were all trying to get some sleep in the front room of the house they had picked to make their sanctuary for the night.

Santana had given up knowing she felt too uneasy to sleep. She sat leaning against the wall her shotgun on her lap, her knees bent and her forehead pressed against her knees.

Artie sat in his chair, his head hung as he slept; he'd have some neck ache in the morning

Rachel and Brittany had each taken a sofa, after Santana insisted. Brittany was snoring softly, Rachel was silent, pretending to sleep; but her ears were far too alert in the darkness around them for her to actually sleep

All of a sudden Rachel was sure she heard something from the kitchen, she turned over quickly at the same time Santana looked up over to the door too.

"Did you hear that?" Rachel whispered chancing a glance away from the kitchen door and over to Santana.

Rachel climbed off the sofa, grabbing 'thumper' from the floor before tentatively stalking towards the door. Santana turned on the lights within the room they were currently in waking the boy in the wheel chair and the blonde snoozing on the sofa

"What's going on?" Brittany groaned at the harshness of light now shining in her eyes

"It's okay Britt just be quiet a second"

The blonde looked towards Artie who just shrugged

Rachel and Santana nodded to each other before shoving the door open with one of their feet at the same time.

The 5 or more infected stumbling towards them sent chills down their spine in fright

"Get the others out of here" Rachel told Santana

Santana was frozen for a second but nodded quickly before running over to the foot of the stairs "Everyone out!" Santana yelled up the stairs. And if her voice hadn't woken everyone then the gunshots Rachel was firing would.

Brittany jumped up off the sofa, grabbing her own guns from where she left them against the wall before running over to help Rachel fend off the zombies

"We gotta get out of here" Santana yelled again as she heard only a few sets of feet scrambling around above her

They seemed to come downstairs in their pairs, Mike and Tina, then Sam and Mercedes. These four grabbed Artie in his chair and ran out to the cars. Santana heard more gun shots from out front so she ran out to join them so she could help clear the way and protect her friends as they got in the cars.

The whole thing was a mess as they quickly evacuated the building. Rachel and Brittany were out last, as soon as they were in their seats as driver and front passenger seat of separate cars, they took off getting away from the quickly infested house.

They had half their equipment now missing; half their guns were left behind in the panic. Rachel had remembered to pick up all of hers on the way out of the house; well they were like family to her. But some of them hadn't picked up everything.

The important thing was that they were all out and alive.

"I Just don't get how they got in" Rachel muttered to herself "We checked the whole house"

No one saw the tall boy sitting behind her bow his head to hide his guilt... he might have forgotten to lock the door after he went out to pee... he may have even forgotten to shut the door properly at all after he got spooked out there.

Back to the present

This night they just wanted to sleep; again there was no safe house and again Rachel and Santana chose to sleep downstairs in the house they'd broken into. They had barracked all exits and blacked out all windows after checking every inch of the house and getting everyone inside. They'd also 'borrowed' some clothes from the closets in the house.

Santana had let Rachel take the sofa, the Latina herself would have slept in one of the two arm chairs in the front living room of this house but she told Rachel she was more uncomfortable on the floor. And it was just by coincidence the best piece of floor was right next to the sofa; parallel to Rachel.

They hadn't had another night so close like the night they quickly lost their two teachers, and though neither would admit it, they wanted another night like that.

But here they were; one on the floor one on the sofa; both wide awake and staring at the ceiling; feeling uneasy after what happened last night.

"Santana?" Rachel said into the quiet. A small lamp sat on a side table against a wall was on giving a warm and comforting glow to the room

"Yeah Rach?" Santana answered in the same soft tone

"If... If I get infected-"

"You won't" she cut the smaller girl off in reassurance

"But if I do. Will you be the one to take the shot?" Rachel asked timidly

"What?" Santana sat up and looked at the girl lying next to her. Even in the dark Rachel could see the Latina's eyebrows were threatening to reach her hair line

Rachel shuffled to lay on her side so her eyes were looking straight into Santana's as she repeated her request "If I get infected I want you to be the one to end it for me, before the infection takes over I don't want to become that"

"How can you ask me to do that!" she wanted to yell louder but she didn't want the hopefully sleeping residence upstairs to hear them

Rachel was tearful as she spoke but she still meant every word she said "You're the only one I trust to do it, you're the best shot and-"

"No Rachel! I won't do it, never, y-you'll have to find another way because I just won't" she turned away and quickly stood up so she could move away from the shorter brunette. She hid her face so she could gather herself and not cry in front of the girl she loved

"But I need you to Santana I need it to be you, I can't trust anyone else to get the shot right and-" Rachel was desperate for Santana to hear her out. She understood it was a big ask but she felt Santana would be the sensible choice... even if she felt terrible for asking someone she loved to do it, she was the best choice.

"So it's just a statistic for you; you don't care how that will affect me, having you stand there in front of me looking into your eyes as I squeeze the trigger" she choked back a sob keeping her back to Rachel. She really couldn't let herself cry in front of the shorter girl.

"I'm sorry Santana, I j-just"

"Well you should be sorry" she snapped, turning round putting on an angry and fierce facade to hide her fear "that's ridiculous Rachel; you won't get infected so don't even put that nightmare in my head so I obviously won't be the one to end it all for you"

"But we have to be reasonable" Rachel stressed, taking a few brave steps closer.

"No we don't, we need to focus on the brightest future we can have" Santana let some of that fear through, hating herself for it. She quickly backed up and returned to angry

"I'm sorry; I didn't think it would affect you like this"

"Yeah?" she folded her arms but that fear continued to weaken her "Well it does" she admitted

"I'm sorry, I guess with Brittany pre-occupied we've become close friends and I didn't think about it like that"

"Sure" she tried to scoff subtly "let's just try and get some sleep" she said before Rachel could try and question anything

"I'm sorry" she said again, her shiny eyes looking up into Santana's

"Let's just" she waved towards where they'd been trying to sleep. They quickly settled down again before Santana spoke again "I'm sorry too... for lashing out"

"It's fine... it wasn't exactly something any of us want to talk about"

"... Goodnight Rachel" she replied after a thought; Santana didn't want to dwell on this much longer

"Goodnight Santana" Rachel sighed

It wasn't long before Rachel was slipping off the sofa and down into the tiny gap between the piece of furniture and the Latina. She cuddled into the taller girls side, Santana was quick to put an arm round Rachel too

"It's more comfortable on the floor" Rachel muttered in explanation as she tucked her head under Santana's and let her eyes drift shut

"Yeah" Santana muttered back letting her own eyes drift closed "It is"

**What do you think?**

**Sorry it's kinda short :/**


	14. Blame

**Another short chapter; but its up earlier than normal so... well you can thank TrustInFaith she came up with an idea that's coming up, that's a catalyst for something else so I'm feeling a little more inspired, and HOPE to have more chapters up soon.**

**Thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter: a-real-boy, SoFlaComet, cressey, aquarius127, LittleWriter11, xtreme, General Mac, TrustInFaith, Rediclufied, Blue-Portrait, amazinglife81, Wolflikeme, twistarwanabe, RandomOtakuFromTumblr, anon and thatdamnyank**

**I really appreciate all your questions and suggestions. I would answer the questions but I don't want to give anything away ;) and as for the suggestions of describing more of what's around them, I am trying to add more description but as for the terrain I really have no idea what to write, I've never been outside Europe and I don't want to get it wrong and upset people :/**

**Thanks though, I'll keep trying, there's only so much research I'm doing**

**Also how's my American English going? I can't help but only hear my own English, Kent accent when I write anything lately :/**

**Sorry, anywho here's the chapter**

**Posted: 29/5/12**

Blame

This time Santana woke up first, seeing that Rachel was still in her arms made her smile. _'Maybe I could have a chance with her'_ she thought to herself _'or am I reading too much into this, is she just seeking out protective comfort... what kinda words are those, your Lima heights adjacent Lopez, and Rachel Berry reduces you to this, second guessing yourself all the time'_ she rolled her eyes at her own thoughts _'What does it matter if Lima heights adjacent Lopez is fading, you're not in high school anymore... that's all gone, so why are you hesitating... cos I could really fuck this up'_ she sighed with disappointment in her own conclusion

She then felt Rachel stir in her arms "Morning" she smiled

"Morning" Rachel muttered sleepily, before tensing. She must have realised where she was.

"Did you sleep well?" Santana may have smirked a little bit with her words; confident Rachel did sleep well, or at least better than without her.

Rachel relaxed again, probably because Santana was calm and seemed unaffected that Rachel had chosen to sleep so close to her again. The truth was it was making the Latina's heart swell; this simple, almost innocent closeness and contact could make her feel so much.

"Yes I did sleep well" she again muttered sleepily "We should get up" she groaned as she reluctantly pulled herself out of Santana's arms

Santana sighed sitting up so Rachel had space to stand up "What's wrong?"

"People" she pointed upstairs "might see, we don't want them thinking we need some sort of support, that we're weak when we're the ones they look to"

Santana stood up, with a furrowed brow and tried to get the other girl to look her in the eye "Rach?"

Rachel just looked to her feet as she folded her arms. The sleeves on her oversized hoody were too long and covering her hands. Santana thought she looked adorable all bundled up in the grey clothing as she stood there shuffling her weight form foot to foot.

"You don't have to be strong all the time" she ducked down to try and meet Rachel's eyes again

"But I should be it'll reassure them that they really can put their trust in me" she muttered

"Yeah you could do that" she agreed in a sense but "But you could show them you're just as vulnerable as they are" _'then you might stay in my arms longer'_

"I could" she finally looked up "But it's better for them to think I can handle this"

"If anyone can handle this it's you Rach" she smiled weakly "I _know_ that"

And there was a Rachel Berry smile; it warmed the Latina's heart "Thank you Santana; that means a lot to me"

Having Santana trust her... maybe that would be enough to get her through this

...

Meanwhile in one of the rooms upstairs, a boy with a Mohawk lay on the floor; his daughter slumbered on a folded duvet next to him. On the double bed beyond his daughter a girl with short blonde hair lay asleep facing him. She didn't know because it's not how they fell asleep but the taller blonde was spooning her with an arm wrapped round Quinn's middle. Lord Tubbington found himself stretched out against his friend and owners side.

As Puck watched them all sleep he smiled to himself; he was beginning to see this mess of a small group as his family. There was the child, the mom and the dad, the moms girlfriend and the fat cat; yep a very odd family but a family indeed.

Beth started to stir getting Pucks immediate attention. Brittany had been clinging to Quinn's side... sometimes quite literally, and they'd both been taking on responsibilities for the rest of their glee club associates so he decided to give them a little more time to sleep.

As he gently got up and picked Beth up too Quinn stirred. It was as if she sensed something was happening to her daughter and it disturbed her

She saw the boy watching her as he backed to the door 'Where are you going?' she mouthed

Puck just smirked and winked as he made his exit closing the door quietly behind him.

"Where did he go?" Brittany asked close to Quinn's ear startling her

"I didn't know you were awake" Quinn muttered, hoping Brittany wouldn't pull away soon

"I just did... thank you for saving lord Tubbington again. I didn't get to say yesterday everyone was a mess trying to find somewhere to stay"

"That's okay Britt... I like making you happy" she said sleepily letting her eyes drift shut again

Brittany just smiled brightly before wrapping her arm tighter round Quinn's middle and snuggling closer before allowing herself to sleep a little longer.

...

Later that morning and the group were settling in the front room, the curtains were still drawn but Rachel had kept lookout checking every few minutes and hadn't seen any of those things wandering around outside. Sam was trying to get into the computer that belonged to whoever was supposed to live in this house. He thought if they could get onto the internet maybe they could finally find out what was going on in the world.

"I just still don't understand how they got in. We checked the house the doors were locked. There weren't even any in the area when we chose that house to stay at that night; which is why we chose that house" Rachel thought to the group out loud while pacing up and down the room

They all sat in silence thinking, occasionally glancing each other or at objects around the room as they thought back to two nights ago and anything that could have lead the their abrupt departure.

"...Unless someone went outside" Puck said slowly as he equally slowly looked over to his supposed best friend. The tall boy sitting in an armchair was staring at his hands while twiddling his thumbs

"Finn, what did you do?" Rachel asked worried

He peered up slowly "It wasn't my fault" he told the short brunette trying to reassure her

"Oh hell no Hudson, what the fuck did you do!" Santana yelled before she charged toward him shoving him back in his seat. The action was so harsh it could have given him whiplash. She held him there by the shoulders as her fiery glare burnt into his own eyes

"I didn't do anything"

"You needed to pee and I said go somewhere else, where did you go?" Puck asked getting up and standing next to the angry Latina. Rachel came up and stood the other side arms folded and waited for the boys answer

"Please don't tell me he went in the sink" Quinn grimaced from her seat on the perpendicular sofa, with Brittany, Beth and Lord Tubbington

"Worse" Finn swallowed thickly; not daring to take his eyes off of Santana in front of him "I went outside, it was dark I heard something got spooked and rushed inside"

"That doesn't explain how they got in without making a sound"

"I-I might..."

"Spit it out" Santana shoved him again still leaving her hands on his shoulders "What the fuck happened?" she didn't mind her language round the impressionable little Beth.

"I might have not shut the door properl-" a fist stuck him across the face cutting off his words

"Santana!" Rachel yelled looping her arms around the furious girl and dragging her away from her target. Puck reluctantly helped too, but really he would have been more than happy to let her tear into the idiot "Calm down" Rachel said finally getting Santana to look at her "We can't turn on each other"

"But he could have got us all killed!" _'He could have got you hurt' _Adding that reality with what Rachel asked of her the night before scared the usually fiery Latina to her core

"We're all okay that's all that matters" she said in the continuous calming tone, her hands on the Latina's shoulders so she was in between the Latina and her prey

"Yeah no one got hurt" he whined while holding the side of his face

"You" Rachel turned sharply back pointing at him "Don't even try and get out of the hole you've got yourself into" she scolded him the way a mother would a small child; it seemed the easiest way to get through to him sometimes.

"Thanks a lot Finn" a usually quiet Tina spoke up from the corner of the room where she had sat cuddled into her equally quiet boyfriend's side. But now she was standing both hands clenched into fists; she was definitely upset "We left Rachel's prepared and now, we've got half our stuff missing; I was lucky enough to leave the last place with clothes on my back, some of us were still in our night wear some didn't have shoes on our feet"

Mercedes, Sam and Mike had run in a blind panic grabbing their day clothes rather than trying to change before leaving. Mercedes and Mike had also forgotten to pick up their shoes. Kurt didn't have his shoes either he'd clung to Blaine as they evacuated.

It seemed in every pair there was one person supporting the other and the one being supported was beginning to rely on their other half.

In the week since Blaine had to shoot his family member and then with what happened to Will and Emma and him feeling partially responsible, he decided to focus on his boyfriend, maybe he could protect him like he couldn't his family.

"I'm really, really sorry" he whined again, this time tensing as if expecting another punch to his bruising jaw

"it's too late for all that now" Rachel sighed "We need clothes, this house hasn't got everything we need"

"Well there's a bunch of houses here we could break in find what we need"

"I think we need to rest and regroup, for at least today" Santana told them, looking for Rachel for encouragement "and we need new things to defend ourselves"

"What about a sports store?" Quinn thought out loud

"What about it?"

"We passed one a couple of miles back; think about it, that would have sneakers and some clothes so we could replace that and I'm thinking... blunt weapons" she didn't like thinking about the violence and bloodshed with her daughter on her lap but it was a harsh reality they would have to face again and again.

"Like... baseball bats?" Santana asked

"That's what I was thinking" she offered suddenly unsure of what everyone else would think. They liked the guns it put distance between them and those things but they'd left many of those behind.

"That's actually a really good idea Quinn" Rachel nodded "We could resupply there, at least until we find a mall. I don't want to go too far off the planned route so this way we can hold off a little longer until we find a mall and somewhere to get firearms"

"So what now, assemble a team?" The Latina asked making this feel like a military operation

Rachel nodded "I'm thinking no more than four or five of us, leave a few with guns here just in case but I think as long as you're quiet and don't go outside, if there are any around they won't be attracted to the house. So I'll be going"

"And me" it was no surprise that Santana was quick to volunteer

"In that case, Quinn, can you take charge here? I know you've got a lot on your hands but-"

"It's fine, I can keep everyone safe" she nodded reassuringly

Rachel thought of Quinn as the other her. They seemed to have the same role when they were on the roads. They both sat in the front passenger seat (coincidentally with the girl they wanted in the driver's seat next to them) and they looked out for everyone in their vehicle. Also Quinn still had her guns and was a pretty good shot, they'd need a couple at the house just in case.

"Thank you" she then looked round at the rest of the current survivors "So Me, Santana-"

"I'll go" Finn was the next to quickly volunteer

"No, not you Finn, he shouldn't move from that seat, I don't want him fucking things up any more" she then shot a look to Quinn with the child on her lap "Sorry" she apologised for her use of language

Quinn just waved it off; with Santana swearing earlier Beth had already heard enough.

"I volunteer" the whole room turned to the girl in the corner who'd just climbed out of her boyfriends arms "I appreciate everything you've done Rachel and how well you've handled everything and got us this far. But I can't just sit around and wait for the next move; I want to take action, so I volunteer" Tina explained

"Then I'm going too" Mike stepped up behind her

The Asian girl turned back to her boyfriend and chuckled likely "Mike, you don't even have shoes" they both glanced down at his feet and Mike managed to smile at her, but there was fear and worry in his eyes "I'll be fine" she tried to reassure him

"You better be" he kissed her quickly on the lips "Or I'll never forgive myself" he muttered

She smiled at him again before turning back to Rachel "It's settled then, I'm going... I-if you'll let me"

"Actually Tina, you'd be a welcome volunteer. But you don't have your weapons anymore" she shook her head shyly "Take my revolver and rifle" she said before passing Tina the two of her family of weapons she hadn't told Santana she'd named.

"Thank you" she took them tucking the revolver into her belt and leaving the rifle cradled in her arms

"I volunteer too" Blaine said. Kurt turned to him a look of horror on his face "I need to do this for all of us" and for himself, he just needed to prove he was useful to them

Brittany was about to volunteer but she saw the way Quinn was looking at her, with the same worry she saw in Mike's eyes as he looked at his girlfriend.

Puck tried to volunteer too but Rachel told him she'd prefer for him to stay to support Quinn... and just in case

"I think just the four of us should go; we'll need to note sizes for who needs what; I don't want to carry too much excess; it might slow us down" Rachel explained

Santana started rooting through the belongings of whoever's house this was. As she was rooting through the draw of the door side table she found some paper and a pen. The group started getting requests for clothing (if they could find it) while Sam found some success with the computer

"I got it working" he announced triumphant with his own success "Maybe now we can actually find out what the heck is going on out there" he sat in front of the screen while the others all started to gather around.

**Let me know what you think?**

**The Poll for this fic is still up, will be taking it down when the next person goes so vote now or forever hold your peace**


	15. I haven't lived love

**Thanks for reviewing: General Mac, miles, anon, SoFlaComet, HiddenBetweenTheLines, aquarius127, TrustInFaith, xtreme, amazinglife18, owtwo, cressey, RandomOtakuFromTumblr, twistarwanabe, MistressDrusilla1860, and Cyssi.**

**And to ****miles****; to answer your previous, ch13 question; Soon ;) PezBerry will be happening soon; in terms of the plot anyway.**

**Posted: 3/6/12**

I haven't lived love

"There's nothing here" Sam sighed, he'd finally got onto a local news website. He then went to a more nationwide news casting website "Again nothing, it doesn't say anything"

"It couldn't have spread that quickly" Rachel said with disbelief "Wait what's that" she stopped him from scrolling when her scanning eyes caught a particular link on the screen "Click on that Sam"

He did so and they all eagerly leant in to read the short paragraph. As they finished reading they each in lean back, so they're standing up straight again

"Is that it?" Tina folded her arms as she asked disappointed

"It just said about a few outbreaks and mentioned it as a mere illness, not life threatening. Did the infection really spread that quickly?" Rachel mumbled

"Try another site, try another country, see if the infection is just here or everywhere" Santana suggested

"Like where, I don't know" Sam seemed to panic, he'd wanted to get answers quickly and now he was worried they wouldn't get any

"Just move" Santana leaned in front of him, she grabbed the mouse and turned the keyboard and started typing in the web address of a site she could remember from when she was on vacation last in Mexico to visit

"It's in Mexican" Finn pointed out as if he was some sort of genius

"Spanish" Rachel corrected "Well the Mexican dialect of Spanish"

"Which I am fluent in" Santana muttered, as the comment was unnecessary. She scrolled down a page on the screen "Oh crap"

"What?" Rachel asked excitedly

"They've successfully quarantined the infection to the USA and Canada. The north edge of Mexico was evacuated and they've barricaded, like seriously built some crazy wall out of anything they can find to stop the infected getting in"

"They've really managed it?"

"Yeah" Santana swallowed thickly "But they've posted snipers on top of the wall... anything gets near they shoot without warning"

"Try another site, maybe they'll have more information" Rachel suggested

After some searching on the internet search engines they ended up on a UK news site. Rachel found the latest article on the infection.

"Look it has a clip" Sam pointed to the play icon on the screen

The man on the screen held a dead pan expression and monotone voice as he read the report _"Our top story. The infection in North America has been contained, meanwhile American survivors, seeking refuge, are being evacuated from the south coast of Florida"_

"Wait they're rescuing people?"

"Shhhh" a few of the others hushed harshly when Mercedes tried to interrupt

The clip cut to scenes from Florida, various boats lined up at as many harbours and docks they could find along various places across the south of the state. Thousands of people lined up to be taken away. Suddenly a scream was heard and a camera moved erratically to see what was causing the noise, gun shots echoed as the camera found the cause.

A fairly uninfected looking human now lay dead on the floor. Their clothes lightly blood splattered from where the shots hit them. The image was blurred, otherwise they might not have show it

"_Each person is being checked for any signs that they could be infected, once it is confirmed they are not, they are allowed onto the boats that will take them to various countries for them to take refuge. Scientists have been studying this strange infection and discovered that we can be sure it's not air born. The source of the infection is yet to be found"_

And then the clip froze and faded

"Hell to the no!" Mercedes yelled making them all jump

"What's wrong?" Sam asked looking up at his girlfriend, who was standing next to him

"We're going the wrong way. We need to get down there, get out of this hell hole" she said exasperated

"I'm sorry Mercedes but we're not going that way" Rachel tried to use a calming tone

The dark skinned diva just stepped back "Are you guys just going to listen to her?" she asked the others disbelieving

They seemed to furrow their brows, as they stood behind Rachel, both literally and figuratively.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked "What have I done?"

"We could have got out of here; we could have gone that way instead" she was hysterical. Maybe it was the zombies or the lack of food and water, it was bound to send them crazy, Mercedes seemed to be the first to crack; either that or she had something against Rachel

"I didn't know that was an option. We can't head there now by the time we get there we'll be too late. I'm sorry I didn't know it was ever an option otherwise we might have had a chance if we started heading that way a week ago. But we didn't, I didn't know okay. I'm sorry"

"Sorry isn't good enough; you were eager to take charge" who else would have? "and look where you've lead us Rachel"

Rachel hung her head down with sudden vulnerability, forgetting she had a full support system standing behind her, with Sam sat still at the computer to her side, torn in who to back up. She was also forgetting what Mercedes was going through herself "I thought we were doing so well-"

"Your plans got Will and Emma killed" Mercedes said lowly

"Whoa, now wait just a damn minute" Yeah Santana didn't care now if her caring side was showing, no one talked like that to her possible future girl "We've already talked about that so don't fuckin' try it Jones. And don't you dare try and blame anyone, especially Rachel, for that damn freak accident-" she stopped when she felt a hand wrap round her fore arm

"I think we should get going, while it's still early" Rachel muttered

"Okay" Santana said surprisingly softly

Sam tapping away at the keys earned him the attention of the suddenly silent room

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked cautiously, suddenly worried someone else might snap at her

"You can comment on the news report... Hang on" he replied as he started typing quickly into the little message box on screen

_Anyone in the USA who is reading this: This is team Pezberry, we are a group of surviving teenagers and a baby from Lima Ohio and we are heading to Minneapolis. If you can read this and are yet to find safety try and head to 50 miles north of the city. We have a plan to set up an underground safe house in the area. If you take food, medical supplies and clothes as well as anything else useful you can find, take it with you and find somewhere safe to stay at the location already specified. We will find you once we are there._

He then clicked the send button He then turned his head looking back at the group and explained. "The site managers have to read and edit any comments in case of swearing and stuff so maybe, hopefully they'll pick up on it, maybe add it to the news broadcast. It could help save lives" he said hopeful "or, you never know, they might send rescue to the area" he shrugged

"That's a really great idea Sam" Rachel smiled "But where did you get the team name from?" she asked, her expression now more confused

Quinn, Brittany and a few others laughed lightly. While Sam looked back at Rachel and said nonchalantly "It's yours and Santana's last names mashed together"

Quinn smirked to herself but she was sure Santana caught it.

...

With only the grumble of the engine and tires on the road to keep the four company they grew more nervous in anticipation of their task ahead.

Rachel decided to speak up "I have some CD's in the cd player... music?" she suggested

"Sure" "Why not?" "Go for it" were the three responses she got. She reached forward hitting the on button of the music system, there was a whirring and clicking noise as it loaded the first CD, and the first song began to play.

_Everyday I feel the same,  
>Stuck and I could never change,<br>Sucked into a black balloon,  
>Spat into an empty room<em>

_Was it really worth it?  
>Did I really deserve it?<br>It happened when you're hurtin',  
>It taught me out the surface<em>

_Of my heart,  
>Of my hea-a-art<em>

_I'm living dead, dead, dead, dead,  
>Only alive, -live, -live, -live,<br>When I pretend, -tend, -tend, -tend,  
>That I have died, died, died, died, died, died.<br>I haven't lived life, I haven't lived love,  
>Just bird's eye view, from the sky above<br>I'm dead, dead, dead, dead.  
>I'm living dead, dead, dead, dead.<br>Dead_

Rachel quickly turned the system off again "Maybe music isn't the best idea" the song just reminding her of her life, the... well the living dead were vampires right, but the walking dead, herself feeling dead inside without someone to love her and... Well, be there they way she wanted that certain other person to be. The line about not living love... it felt terrible just to think it what with Finn and their past and everything but, she felt like she hadn't lived love... what was she waiting for exactly.

"Who was that singing?" Santana asked just to give some atmosphere to the nearly _dead_ atmosphere in the vehicle

"Um... Marina and the diamonds" Rachel answered after thinking back about what she'd actually put on these CD's. Her dad's hadn't seen the point but she thought it was a good idea. If a Zombie apocalypse was to occur maybe some music could cheer them up... then again maybe not

"I didn't know you listened to anything other than Broadway" Santana smirked, but kept her eyes forward on the road

Rachel fiddled with her hands on her lap. She was about to say 'There's so much you don't know about me' but it sounded too flirty to her

Santana instead said "You're just full of surprises aren't you Miss Berry"

A smile tweaked at Rachel's lips. She raised her head and turned to look at the driver "As are you Miss Lopez" the car quickly returned to silence after that last comment but Santana had a slight smile, so slight it was almost hidden, on her lips.

"Well I liked the music" Tina perked up from behind Rachel. Tina and Blaine sat opposite each other, on the bench seats that ran the length of the jeep behind the drivers and passenger's seat. They had their rifles between their knees aimed at the roof.

"I liked the music too... have you got any more by the same artist?" Blaine asked to help keep the mood calm and casual

"Um sure" Rachel thought about exactly what she'd put the on the CD, if she remembered correctly each half of a CD was dedicated to an artist or at least genre. She turned the CD player back on hitting the skip button so it would start the next track.

_Don't do love, don't do friends  
>I'm only after success<br>Don't need a relationship  
>I'll never soften my grip<em>

_Don't want cash, don't want card  
>Want it fast, want it hard<br>Don't need money, don't need fame  
>I'm just want to make a change<em>

_I just wanna change  
>I just wanna change<br>I just wanna change  
>I just wanna change<br>I just wanna – change_

_I know exactly what I want and who I want to be  
>I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine<br>I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy  
>Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh<em>

They happily listened to music as they travelled cautiously to their destination

...

"Where did everyone go?" Brittany asked as she came out of the kitchen and joined only Quinn and Beth in the living room

Quinn was sat on the floor her back leaning against the sofa. She had Beth sat in front of her between her legs. The blonde with the short hair took her eyes off her daughter to talk to Brittany "I think they all went to take a nap. I know Mike and Kurt wanted to try and sleep through their worry" she half smiled sympathetically for them "But everyone else seemed to have a rough night" she explained "No surprise there though, everyone was on edge because of the night before"

"Well I had a good night sleep" Brittany said innocently, Quinn smiled knowing she had a really good night's sleep too with Brittany wrapped round her. She sat down cross-legged opposite Quinn and Beth. She had a few food items in her hand; a plate, a bowl and two silver foil packages. She placed the items on the coffee table next to them

"What have you got there?"

"Well when we got here last night, some of them were raiding the kitchen for food, I hid some cans of fruit" she shrugged "There's a couple of granola bars too, left over from the last bunker we stayed at, I kept them hidden in my bag... was that a bad thing?" she wondered if hiding food from the others was selfish

"No Britt, it was a good idea" Quinn assured her "We're supposed to be on rations but some people are just stuffing their faces to cope with their anxiety" Brittany just nodded, though Quinn wondered if she understood what she said.

Quinn was annoyed that people, not to point fingers; Finn, were being selfish, Brittany hiding two granola bars to some canned fruit was hardly a bad thing, and she was sharing

"I tested the fruit it's okay" she said proudly "and I found bread in the freezer... the people who live here are weird, but its okay too and because they hid it in the freezer no one else found it" she was proud of her scavenging success "so I toasted a piece, put peanut butter on it, which is safe too, and cut it into little squares" she offered Quinn the plate "I hope Beth can eat it"

"Thank you Britt" Quinn couldn't help but smile so genuinely, it was a rare occasion really. Beth got her to smile when she spoke the few babbly words she knew, or when the little girl laughed. But Brittany and this gesture just reminded her she wasn't alone and the truth Brittany had feelings back. "That was really thoughtful of you" she took the plate from the blue eyed girl and held it closer to Beth, offering it to her "What do you say Beth?"

Quinn didn't like the way it felt weird bossing her own child around but that was the point, this was her daughter, and she'd need to find that bond, that natural bond that was still missing somewhat.

"fan-cue" the little blonde muttered, at that Quinn smiled, making Brittany smile and Beth smiled too as the toast was presented to her. It may have been cold now but it was food and it was far more interesting than the dried fruit or icky granola stuff they'd tried feeding her.

She happily picked up her first square of toast, smearing the more than generous peanut butter over her hand and then over her face as she devoured the bread. The stickiness didn't seem to bother her though as she just went grabbed another piece

Quinn glanced away from her daughter to catch Brittany watching them both fondly. They immediately broke eye contact as soon as it had connected; suddenly shy around each other again.

"Where's lord Tubbington?" Quinn asked casually, as she ran her fingers lightly through the thin delicate strands of blond on her daughters head

Brittany sighed taking a granola bar and passing it to Quinn before picking up the other for herself "He's still in bed" she didn't feel like using one of her crazy explanations to elaborate. Maybe the whole situation around them had shocked that side of Brittany out of her. Quinn kinda hoped not, she loved the crazy

"How's he coping without any cigarettes? I know you said you wanted him to quit but if he's a stress smoker he's probably battling crazy cravings. I haven't been able to find any yet-"

"Quinn don't" Brittany stopped her but it wasn't just her words it was her defeated and sorrowful tone

"Don't what?"

"I know I'm stup-"

"Don't you dare say that" Quinn was quick but not harsh, she kept her voice soft

"I know I need to grow up" she muttered again, keeping her hurt filled eyes down

"But where's the fun in that?" Quinn smiled, hoping she could get smile form the other girl too

"It's not supposed to be fun, we're supposed to be serious and responsible" she chanced a glance up but as soon as she saw the smile and glint of happiness in Quinn's eyes it warmed her inside and she couldn't break the contact.

"And that doesn't mean we can't still have fun; we should live our lives to the full"

This sparked the memory of a previous conversation they'd shared with a third person present, over a week ago "Like telling someone how you really feel"

"Yes" Quinn breathed suddenly but not unsurprisingly, nervous

This was it, there was no reason to have held it off for this long but she had to be sure and she didn't want to mess Brittany about; be a distant friend one day and be attacking her lips the next, despite that being what she wanted the most.

"Quinn I lo-"

"Brittany I love you"

Silence, absolute silence followed. Quinn wasn't surprised but Brittany was, she always seemed to have a tough time in love but this time, it was different. Quinn had said the three words that she'd waited so long to hear, and they were from someone who she felt the same for which was 'like, totally better'

Silence continued as Brittany just rocked onto her knees and leant forward, Quinn felt herself instinctually lean forward too, but her movement was a little more restricted thanks to Beth

Quinn thought she was ready for this but this was her first kiss with a girl and her first kiss with someone she truly loved. She wasn't prepared for the feel of Brittany's lips against her own. She shuddered, she didn't know what she'd expected, but she felt completely out of control as strange sensations travelled through her body. She could feel herself trembling and she couldn't breathe. Her body felt hot, so hot (and it wasn't just because of the hoody she was wearing) and when Brittany cupped her face and brought soft lips to Quinn's, Quinn felt her skin melting away. She heard a low moan and realised that it had come from her own lips.

Brittany pulled back, but Quinn's mouth still burned from her gentle kiss. When Quinn looked into Brittany's eyes, she saw that the blue eyed girl wanted more than just the brief kiss they had just shared. And with those soft lips still so close to her own, Quinn realised she wanted more too.

But a peanut butter smeared hand patting Quinn on the bare lower half of her calf, bought them both from their wonderful hazy state and back to the real world and the messy little girl sat between them.

**The first song was **_**Living dead**_**, by **_**Marina and the diamonds**_**, the second song was **_**Oh No**_**, also by **_**Marina and the diamonds**_

**Let me know your thoughts :/**

**I have now taken the poll down, the next person to go, dies in the next chapter, only I and one other person know for sure who it is; and we don't fly together lmao**


	16. Groceries

**Sorry this took so long. Seriously Miles, thanks for reviewing 4 times! You need to get an account so I could have PM'd you as to when I was updating lol. You too xtreme, I had no way of telling you I already finished completely backwards, glad you found out anyway and thanks for reviewing.**

**Sorry I've started some work experience (un paid work) to help me get a real job so I've actually been busy. But I had to post tonight as I promised myself I'd post a chapter for all my in-progress fics today, for my fanficaversary... who cares? Only me? Good.**

**So anyway thanks to all of you who read and reviewed the last chapter it was muchly appreciated. Enjoy...**

**Posted: 24/6/12**

Groceries

Waking up was the best part of the day. It was those few seconds before you realised who you were, where you were and what happened in the days before that Santana had savoured everyday so far. She savoured the moments where she was still in her dreams where she was happy. This morning she didn't have to though. This morning as she woke up, she instantly remembered exactly where she was, the house they'd picked had many rooms, and Mike and Sam had agreed to stay downstairs 'on alert' in case anything tried to get in, Tina and Mercedes had stayed with them.

And as the light streamed through the gap in the curtains Santana knew they'd made it through another night. She also knew she was sharing her bed, she could feel a warm body pressed against her back, she remembered how she and Rachel had ended up with a double room, meaning they just happened to have to share a bed. The Latina smiled to herself, she glanced back over her shoulder to see if Rachel was still asleep when she was met with a wet nose and lick to the cheek "Ewww" she groaned as she wiped at her face

Rachel was woken by the noise "What!" she sat up suddenly, appearing from the other side of the dog lying between them and looking straight to Santana with worry

"What the hell is this mutt doing on the bed?"

Rachel's panic subsided, "It was cold, you can't expect CJ to sleep on the floor like that. Besides she's not a mutt, she's a German shepherd, I think of the Czech republic blood line"

Okay a Rachel Berry ramble was refreshing but... what? "Okay" Santana said slowly as she shuffled to sit up, putting distance between her and the dog and unfortunately Rachel as well "Right" she started "first of all, CJ? Second, how can you tell what... blood line she is? It's a fuckin' dog!"

"Well" Rachel started as she ran her hand through the dogs thick wiry coat, as she lay between them, watching Santana cautiously "I was trying out names and she responded to the sound of 'ee-ay' so hence Cee-Jay. And I may have really wanted one, a German Shepherd that is, since I was about 11, and even though I researched the type I wanted and found out all the different types and tried to persuade my dads; they never agreed"

"I'm not surprised" she wiped at the moulted dog hair on the cream bed sheet

"Don't say you're going to change your mind, she's with us now, you can't make me get rid of her"

Santana laughed lightly "I don't know why you asked me if you could keep her in the first place"

She tucked a messy stand oh hair behind her ear "I wasn't sure you'd let her in the car with everything"

"Oh come on Rach" she chuckled "Like I had a choice, as soon as you and Blaine found... CJ" she sighed and rolled her eyes as she said the name "trapped in that back room at the sports emporium, I knew you wouldn't let her go"

"Well thank you for being understanding, not like half the others"

"They were just worried she could be infected, that and the food rations having to waste them on a dog" she saw the sadness that washed over Rachel's face "Not that feeding her is wasting our rations" she corrected

"I get that everyone's hungry but CJ is more than a dog" seeing the way Rachel's eyes light up as the dog sat up at the sound of Rachel calling her by her name, or her new name at least, made Santana happy. Of course they'd keep the damn dog if Santana had any say (which of course she would), it made Rachel happy. "She's more than a dog, she's some sort of hope; we haven't seen any people, not a single real person, but we found this dog"

"And Quinn found Lord Tubbington" Santana reminded the shorter brunette "Maybe the animals just have better instincts with this than we do"

"Yeah I guess animals just see the reality in front of them accept it and adapt. We need to stop and question everything" Rachel thought as she stared into the dogs eyes

"Rachel Berry with a German shepherd, I never saw that" Santana chuckled again

"Well do you see it now?" she asked as she wrapped her arms round the dog's neck and grinned at the Latina

"I guess" she smiled slightly "At least you gave her a bath last night"

Rachel just nodded and smiled slightly, the dog pulled out of her arms and climbed down onto the floor leaving the two girls. "Um, Santana..." Rachel said breaking the silence. Was now the right time, they were sharing such a calm happy and light moment; would it destroy it?

"Yeah Rach?" Santana waited intently

"I, ah, I-"

"Rachel!" was heard loudly from down stairs

...

"Morning beautiful" in the next room, two blonde teenage girls were enjoying their own wake up

"Morning" Brittany smiled up at her girlfriend. She slipped her arms round Quinn's neck dragging her down closer, so she could connect their lips. She smiled into the kiss as she felt Quinn's eagerness to take it further. She pulled back slightly to ask "Where's Beth?"

Quinn laughed lightly, she didn't exactly want to be thinking about her daughter right now "Puck took her down stairs to find her some breakfast" Only Puck, Rachel and Santana knew they were together, they kept it quiet and in their room, not wanting questions and comments from the others

"Oh, okay" Did Brittany sound disappointed?

"Are you saying you'd rather spend time with Beth than with me-" she leaned down pressing a soft teasing kiss to the other blondes lips "-doing things like that?"

"If you're going to kiss just like that, I'd rather hang out with Beth" she smirked "She's more fun" she giggled

Quinn tried to fake hurt but she knew the other girl was joking, and she couldn't help but smile fondly at the noise of Brittany laughing

"What?" Brittany asked seeing the way Quinn looked down at her

"I-I just... I love you"

"I love you too" as they went to share another kiss they were broken apart by one word being yelled through the house

"Rachel!"

...

"Mercedes are you crazy" Rachel whispered harshly, as she reached the bottom of the stairs Thumper in hand, CJ at her side and Santana just behind her "What's wrong?"

"You said yesterday, we'd re-stock"

"Ugh, is this about food again?" Santana rolled her eyes

"She's not on her own, I agree, Rachel. We're starving here" Kurt complained

"Still you didn't need to yell like that, we're supposed to keep quiet so we don't draw attention to the house"

"Oh please we haven't seen one of those things in days, we're too far away from the big cities for them to still be around" Mercedes argued

"You don't know that, we need to be careful"

"What's going on?" Quinn asked gun in hand and Brittany not so subtlety on her arm as the two reached the bottom of the stairs

"Mercedes is pissed cos we're low on food" Santana murmured to the two new arrivals "Nice hair" she commented at Quinn's ruffled hair, with a smirk

"That's my point, we're armed, and we're prepared as ever yet we still have to sit round and plan; why can't we just go"

"Mercedes" Sam warned

"We past a grocery store yesterday, It's not that far back"

"Mercedes, we can't just go like that. It's best if we plan ahead"

"Hell to the no! If you don't take me I'll go by myself"

Rachel sighed heavily, she was beaten, she couldn't let them all fall apart. They were all hungry, even she could admit she was, even though she was trying to stay strong for them all. "Fine, we'll go"

"Who goes this time?" Blaine asked, ready to volunteer for the sake of the others

"Well me obviously" Rachel said

"And me" Santana as usual; this was getting a bit repetitive

"If you're not careful you'll smother her" Tina said subtly over Santana's shoulder. The Latina thought back to two days before when they were in the sports emporium, her and Tina had been given the duty of finding 'weapons' so mainly baseball bats, they seemed to be the best option. I mean they didn't want to try and beat Zombie to death... again, with a tennis racket. Pool cues would break too easily, golf clubs might too, so baseball bats. Now they had the fine decision of choosing which bats they wanted...

She remembered what she and Tina had spoken about as they looked over their future weapons

"_Do you like Rachel?" Santana turned to her wide eyed: that was the first thing to come from the usually shy Asian girl's mouth? "Because I thought you liked Brittany"_

"_I did like Brittany but... well I still do like her, but now I just like her as a friend" why couldn't she be honest, maybe confiding in someone new would be good, even if was someone she had nearly never spoken to before "But... that's just it for us, we both like other people"_

"_So she likes Quinn?" Tina assumed_

"_Are you just asking me for gossip for the two divas, waiting back at the house?"_

_Tina scoffed as she picked up an aluminium bat, feeling the weight in her hand "Yeah right. Don't think you've seen how they don't talk to me anymore, ever since Mike and I got together"_

"_Yeah, I think I noticed... so you're not gonna say anything?"_

"_It's not really any of my business is it?"_

"_No, but you still asked" Santana shrugged, picking up a wooden baseball bat_

"_I just didn't want to be the last one to find out" Tina said picking up the aluminium bat_

_Santana huffed a humourless laugh "I wouldn't worry about that, I think Rachel will be the last one to find out"_

_Tina turned suddenly to the Latina, making sure to get her attention "Don't let her be. If there's one thing I know, it's that having someone like that, like the way I have Mike, makes everyday bearable"_

_Santana absorbed the wise teen's words and nodded, before turning back to the bats "I'm thinking the wooden bats are better" she said gripping one tightly with both hands "heavier"_

_Tina just nodded and started grabbing a couple of the wooden bats_

_They froze when they heard a scream. In panic they dropped the bats and ran to where they heard that shriek come from. They were about to meet CJ._

...

Mercedes, Sam and CJ were sat in the back of the almost silent car. The only noise other than the grumble of the engine and the sound of the tires on the ground beneath them, was CJ panting. Sam smiled at the dog, petting her on the head, receiving a slobbery lick to the hand. Mercedes smiled lightly as his face screwed up to grimace at the slime on his hand. He wiped it on his hoody top before noticing his girlfriend watching him, he smiled back.

Santana kept quiet when she really wanted to sit there and let Mercedes know just how selfish she was being.

Rachel knew they had a point. She hadn't eaten much if anything for the past two days. She was exhausted physically and mentally but she had put it on herself to keep strong for her... friends. Santana's support which at first had been quite a surprise was what kept Rachel going lately. Having Santana on her side also gave her Quinn and Brittany, backing her up.

She just sat in the front, as usual, gripping Thumper, Maria tucked under the belt of her jeans. Of course she'd handed her two other guns to Tina, who still had them. She trusted Tina to look after them... well the Asian girls life did depend on them so it was only common sense to look after them. Santana still had her two guns Sam had one of the rifles while Mercedes had the 10mm pistol Sam had taken from the Berry bunker, he'd given it to her when her guns got left behind the night Finn nearly got them all killed. Mercedes also had one of the baseball bats that were picked up by Tina and Santana before. They also kept a spare bat in the car.

Rachel had a bad feeling about this; she preferred to stand back in this situation. The normal berry was one to rehearse over and over again until she drove any unwilling audience mad (like her neighbours), so this new world Rachel Berry wanted to do the same to an extent, prepare for the actual 'performance'.

As they pulled up in front of the store Rachel whispered to herself "Show time"

...

They had seen a few, maybe one or two on the drive here, it unnerved them all even if they wouldn't admit it. They hadn't seen any since arriving in this town and driving back on themselves they started seeing them again... were they being followed, that was a worrying thought.

CJ was a very loyal dog already... well very loyal to Rachel. It had been Rachel to accidently free her from the back room at the sports emporium so the dog was loyal to her.

As the four teens and dog stalked across the empty car park towards the supermarket doors they kept on high alert. As they reached the opening to the store they were all startled by the automatic doors opening. As the erratic beat of their hearts calmed Rachel managed to give some instruction "We should get a couple of Shopping carts" she made it sound more like a suggestion so Mercedes wouldn't just start on her again about bossing them around

Once they were inside the store they split into two pairs, Santana was happy that Sam wouldn't leave Mercedes side, she wasn't happy that she had to compete for Rachel's attention with a dog.

"We should get can food, dry food, stuff with long expiration dates on it. If you're going to eat anything while you're here just check it with the indication papers, you've all still got some right?" Rachel asked getting three yeah's/yes's in response "Stay alert" she told them before letting the other pair go

The Raven haired girl watched Mercedes and Sam wander away before turning back to Rachel who wasn't right next to her like she expected

"Rachel?" she asked as she saw her hop over a counter and to the shelves behind it, she grabbed a random box of cigarettes, and took one from the packet. She took the closest lighter within reach and lit it up, taking a long and satisfying drag "Rachel? What the fuck?"

"Sorry" she said as she turned back to Santana "I just really needed that"

The taller girl was shocked to say the least as she looked at her wide eyed, slack jawed "Since when do you smoke?"

"I don't, well not often but I really needed it" she said as she took another drag "You want one" she offered the box and lighter over the counter top

Santana just shrugged "Sure" she reached over and took her own cigarette, lighting it up, taking a drag.

"When you spend a week or more in an underground bunker, the air seems too fresh when you leave. My dad's don't know or at least I don't think they know that for the past 4 or 5 years I've been smoking after I spend more than a day in there"

"That's some logic you got there Berry"

"Believe me, the suffocation you feel from these things when you're not an everyday smoker helps with the agoraphobia of leaving"

Santana smirked and raised an eyebrow "You like being suffocated... kinky"

Rachel rolled her eyes but still smiled "You know what I mean. Come on" She pocketed a few packets of cigarettes and a couple of lighters before she hopped back over the counter grabbing Thumper who she'd left on the counter top "We need to get food. I need dog food for CJ too"

The shorter girl started toward the isle she wanted CJ loyally following on her heels, Santana loyally following behind the dog pushing the shopping cart.

...

"Is it weird that this feels wrong?" Rachel asked as they packed the four carts (they'd had to get more to hold all the stuff they wanted and their friends had asked for) of supplies into the back of the jeep

"What do you mean?" Sam asked as he slid a box (that they'd found in a store room) full of cans into the back of the jeep

"Well we didn't pay for this?"

"I don't think anyone's around who cares" Sam said lowly

"Don't tell me you've never shop lifted before" Santana scoffed

"Well..." Rachel started before climbing into the back of the car to slide the items further into the jeep.

"Not even a packet of gum?" The Latina asked again as she threw the bag of dry dog food into the back of the jeep

"No" Rachel said shyly "I... wait where's Mercedes?" she asked as she looked out of the jeep and only saw

"She went back in" Sam told them "she said she wanted some tater tots"

"And you let her go by herself?" Rachel asked with concern

"I didn't see the harm" Sam swallowed his words as he heard a scream, a cry out in pain, from inside the building. It was loud enough to be heard from outside the store and shook them all to their core. Even CJ reacted by tilting her head as she stopped panting

Sam was the first to abandon all sense and sprint back inside, running along the end of each isle looking up them all until he found her

He skidded to a stop Santana, Rachel and CJ not far behind him.

He found her, she sat against one of the freezers a bag of tater tots by her feet, a hand holding her blooded side, a bat in her limp left hand and a grey corpse with a smashed in head nearby

"Mercedes!" he ran to her. As he knelt down next to her, he got blood on his legs from the quickly growing pool coming from her.

As he reached her the other three appeared round the corner. The two teens newest to the scene froze, this couldn't be happening.

"Mercedes?" he asked attentively

She rolled her head lazily to the side to look at him. Her breathing was unsteady as she managed to smile bravely at him. Her right hand clutched at her lower ribs on her left side, under her left arm, blood seeped between her fingers onto the floor "Sorry" she whispered

"No, no, no, no" Sam started muttering, his hands hovering over her afraid he'd harm her if he touched her

She let go of bat that was leaning against her leg, letting it roll to the floor. She raised her left blood splattered hand to cradle the blonde boys face "I'm sorry"

"Don't apologise" his eyes were shining ready to spill with tears. He leaned down to kiss her softly, gently, like she could break "I love you" he told her as he pulled back slightly

"I love you too" she said back with a weak smile "You have to go"

"No, I'm not going anywhere"

"Please, I don't want you to see me... I need to" she looked far into his eyes as she begged "So please go"

"I-I can't" His face screwed up as tears fell from his eyes and he tried to suppress his sobbing

"Go" she told him with more force, it caused her to start coughing.

"I'm not leaving you"

"Then you'll die too. I need you to live Sam, please" she was now crying too "Please" she said again

"Come on Sam" Santana patted him on the shoulder. Rachel was just about ready to break down, the guilt the short brunette felt almost accomplishing that alone

"No" he shrugged her hand off his shoulder

"Go" Mercedes shoved him, it wasn't very forceful though "Go"

"No" he said more adamantly

"Sam you have to go, now. Go with Rachel back to the car" Santana told him softly

"Please" Mercedes tried again "If you care about me at all you'll go, now"

He racked in a sob and nodded. He gave her free hand a squeeze and kissed her again "I love you" he whispered

"I love you too. Don't forget me"

"Never" his voice was as weak as his girlfriend

She managed to smile as she said two last words to him "Now go"

He nodded slowly, not believing it had come to this. He looked into her eyes savouring the moment before turning sharply and walking away. He walked quickly trying to keep calm but he couldn't he just cried and kept wiping furiously at the fallen tears with the sleeve of his hoody. He rushed past Rachel and CJ who followed behind him.

"Santana?" Mercedes muttered the Latina's name. Once she was looking down at her the diva reached to her waist where she kept the 10mm pistol. With the little strength she had left she held the gun by the barrel and raised it up, offering it to Santana.

Her eyes widened in realisation of what Mercedes was asking her to do. She was silently asking her to fire the shot and take her already fading life.

**Let me know what you think...**

**Sorry again for the wait**


	17. Bury

**AN1: Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter, I'm overwhelmed to be honest there was a lot more than there has been, I was worried people were getting bored, but i've got some great chapters coming up (well I think they're pretty good, there's some emotional bits and stuff, just hope I don't take forever to post them)**

**So thanks for reviewing: General Mac, JackyKay, Gardenia2, J4M3Z XO, xtreme, amazinglife18, RandomOtakuFromTumblr, MistressDrusilla1860, l0vesparks007, cressey, Steph, miles, RainbowSmurfette, TrustInFaith, Lovers Lymric Passions Poet, Valerii. FaberryFan , sarfatilopez, ShadowCub, Guest, Miles (again), Guest.**

**AN2: Also I meant to thank ****TrustInFaith **** for her help with the plot involving Mercedes end, and some stuff leading up to it. We discussed it back when I was still on CH 11 so it slipped my mind to thank her: so here you go: Thanks ****TrustInFaith**

**Posted: 7/7/12**

Bury

*Bang!*

Even though the sound was distant and muffled from inside the super store it still startled Sam and Rachel. Even CJ winced at the noise then glanced up at her new master looking for direction in what was supposed to happen next. Rachel just stared at her shoes, guilt washing over her. When she saw the dog looking up at her she smiled lightly and ran a hand over CJ's head, between her pointy ears.

Sam stood a little further in front. The echo of that gunshot came as no surprise to him, like it hadn't to Rachel, but hearing it was so final. His girlfriend was dead, and it was his fault, he should have gone with her, been there to protect her, but he wasn't, and now she was gone.

As Santana made her exit from the store, guilt washing over her too at what she had just done, she saw Rachel and Sam (and CJ) standing in the parking lot, looking away from her. Both their shoulders were slump, their heads hanging down and silence.

As she got closer to Rachel she heard Sam sniffle a few words "I want to bury her"

"We don't-" have time. Is what Santana wanted to say but Rachel cut her off

"Okay" the short brunette said softly. She wanted to stand by Sam, comfort him, but she was afraid he'd push her away, blame her for saying Mercedes should have come here as she was adamant that they needed food.

"No where special but..." he pointed to a park across the road "Maybe there" he suggested still tearful "Do you think it would be okay?"

"Yeah, Sam... There are a couple of collapsible shovels under the right box seat in the jeep... if you want to get started, we'll um..." Rachel was trying so hard to keep herself together. It was getting harder every day

"Rach?" Santana gently placed a hand on the shorter girls shoulder. Rachel bought her own hand up and placed it over Santana's and gently squeezing. Tears finally fell from her eyes; she felt like she'd failed again, as soon as her shoulders started shaking Santana pulled her into a tight comforting hug

...

Rachel had helped Sam dig the... grave on the grassy area near the store. At the same time Santana had gone back inside and prepared Mercedes body for its burial. She didn't want Sam or Rachel to see her again... so she wrapped the body, she chose a dark bed sheet with a pattern of vibrant neon colours splattered over it. She thought the bright colours could relate to Mercedes bright and often fiery personality.

Maybe it was stupid but it was the very least she could do. Also the blood wouldn't show so easily if it soaked into the sheets.

They now stood over the buried dead, tears still in all their eyes

Sam dropped to his knees at the foot of the grave "I'm gonna miss you Mercedes" his hand ran over the upturned soil that sealed Mercedes body underground "I'm so, so sorry" he sobbed "It's all my fault"

Rachel reached out to comfort Sam but he moved, unknowingly away from her, as he dropped to lie next to the grave, he started clutching at the dirt as if trying to feel or reach for the dead girl.

"You were my light 'Cedes. I could forget the bad as long as I had you" he cried.

His words echoed in the Latina's ears as she watched the boy break down. Rachel's shoulders seemed to sink lower; Santana noticed the look of failure cross Rachel's face.

The shorter girl noticed the other one looking at her, she looked back trying to put on a brave face but she crumbled, bursting into tears. Santana didn't think she just took Rachel in her arms and held her tight

She loved these hugs and how frequent they were, it just saddened her that the only reason she was getting them was because of the bad things that were unfolding around them, that and she was the only one there who could provide Rachel with that little amount of protective comfort. She wished it could have been under other circumstances and that this was more than a comfort hug. She wanted so much more with the little diva, and seeing nearly everyone else paired off only made her jealous... but she didn't envy the position Sam was in, and when Mercedes had offered her the pistol it reminded her of Rachel's request, to be the one to end it if the worst happens. She couldn't shoot someone she loved so much.

The dark clouds that had settled over them as they had prepared Mercedes, flashed with a bright light. Then the low grumble of thunder rumbled above them. As if on cue the clouds burst above them and rain was pelting down.

Santana just held Rachel tighter, not caring that the rain was soaking them through to the bone, and making them cold. She was holding Rachel and that's what she wanted.

They could barely hear CJ's whining over the harsh rain, and they didn't see _them_ stumbling from across the car park, directly toward them.

CJ barked, before she desperately nudged her nose against Rachel's thigh. The two girls looked down to the dog, still holding each other. The dog looked behind the girls and barked again, they both turned to see what the fuss was about. They weren't sure why they were surprised

"Uh-oh Sam we gotta go" Rachel said, leaving Santana's arms and crouched down next to the boy and nudged him with her hand

"No, I can't leave her" he rolled his shoulder to get Rachel to let go.

"Really we gotta go" Santana said "we got Z's heading this way!" she yelled to help get the message through

Sam was quickly off the ground looking around to see those things. He felt anger but was also scared "Where're the guns?" he asked panicked

"In the car" Rachel yelled back. Her eyes then widened at what that meant. 13 maybe more of those pale skinned, rotting, clumsy things were nearing and their weapons were on the other side of the threat

"What do we do?" Santana asked, not meaning to because she knew not to look to Rachel for all the answers

"Um... ah"

"This" Sam lead them forward in a charge, CJ happy to follow before Rachel and Santana could understand what was happening. Sam raised two small collapsible shovels and beat down one of the walking dead in the way "Come on!" he yelled over his shoulder. The two girls chased after him and down the path Sam was carving to the safety of the car. They quickly climbed in and sped away.

...

The car ride back was as silent as the car ride there. A scent of blood, mud, and wet dog hung in the car as a reminder of what had unfolded.

Rachel knew they needed food supplies, but she had been afraid. Before, when they set out to do a task (find family) they had lost two of their group, and when they went to the sports emporium they had all made it back alive, now Rachel didn't want to venture out so often in fear of losing more people and today that fear came true again.

Santana wasn't sure what would have made her feel less guilty about what she'd done. She wasn't sure what the two passengers would prefer to believe: Mercedes life had ended with a bullet or she choked to death before the Latina had even found the courage to raise the gun. Would she have felt worse than she did for letting Mercedes choke on her own blood and suffocate before the infection could even set in?

Maybe actually shooting her would have been better, rather than only pretending she did.

Sam lay along one of the benches; the foot well was crammed with food and supplies anyway so he didn't have much foot space. CJ lay on the other bench seat, watching Sam. The dog wasn't stupid, she watched the boy with curious concern as he kept his eyes hidden behind his floppy hair. He kept moving, shaking even, which meant he was still crying, silently.

...

"They're back" Brittany jumped up from the window box seat she was sitting on, when she saw the car reversing into the drive. She had tried to make herself useful by being look out, the road had been completely silent while the group of four had been away on their little food gathering mission.

She ran to the door and yanked it open to be presented with Sam head down and his clothes muddy. He didn't say anything as he slipped past the now confused teens.

Rachel, Santana and CJ walked in behind and then shut the door. Sam sat on the edge of one of the sofas, his head bowed down looking at the carpet in between his feet

"Where's Mercedes? Brittany innocently asked the question on everyone's minds

"She's gone" Santana said, her voice was raw and tired

Kurt turned away and sobbed into Blaine who protectively wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. The other gleeks except Brittany all bowed their heads or turned to each other for comfort.

"Where did she go?" Brittany again asked innocently

Quinn gently placed a hand on her secret girlfriends shoulder "No Britt..." the blue eyed girl looked into honest Hazel "she's gone... she's dead" Quinn explained

"Oh" Was all Brittany said, now that she understood. Her lip started to trembled and her eyes became shinier, Quinn just wrapped her arms round her girl... but kinda like a friend would because she didn't want everyone knowing.

"I'm sorry to do this but we saw a lot of Zombies heading this way. If they find out we're in here we don't stand a chance" Rachel interrupted the moment quietly "Theres a base about 10 or so miles from here, I say we pack up and get going we're much safer there than we are here"

"One of our friends just died" Kurt spat, well he had lost his best friend "Can't we just have a moment?" his tone now sounded apologetic for the way he lashed out before

"No, we should move" Just the sound of Sam's voice and the fact it was so calm got everyone's attention. He stood up from his seat on the sofa and turned to all his companions "Rachel's right, she's always been right and its when we don't do as she says that people get hurt" his eyes were so red from crying but his voice was strong "We should grab all out stuff and head there now"

"But Sam, maybe you need just a minute" Tina tried to reason with him, just to make sure he was thinking straight; he had been closest to Mercedes. Tina gently put a hand on his shoulder for support but he shrugged it off not wanting any human contact right now. She backed up herself, to Mike worried she'd upset someone

"I appreciate it Tina I really do" he said honestly and apologetically when he saw the hurt expression on her face "But what if we don't have 'a minute'? let's just get our stuff and move before its too late. We can't let... we have to..." he swallowed as he started trembling, holding back tears "we have to live, for _them_" and let's face it he was just being respectful when he said 'them', he was mainly thinking about Mercedes of course

With Sam's words that came like a blessing; giving them permission to leave the area, they did as Rachel said, they packed up the few items they had and were quickly on the road again, still heading north/west.

...

Sitting in the car travelling along an abandoned highway, heading to a secure Berry bunker gave great comfort to Rachel. She liked routine and familiarity.

"_Rachel?"_ they heard Quinn ask tentatively over the intercom from the other car _"there's a hospital not far ahead"_

"I know, I saw the sign" the short brunette sighed from her usual passenger seat.

"_It's only a suggestion, but while it's there should we stop... get some basic medical supplies?"_ Quinn asked _"I'm not demanding... it's just a suggestion" _she reminded, not wanting to be the bad guy, bugging at Rachel, their nominated leader

Rachel thought, she thought of all the details she tried to plan but she wouldn't know until she saw the hospital. "... Brittany take the next turning; we're stopping at the hospital" she instructed

...

Rachel was first to jump out the car, they could see right across the parking lot in front of the hospital's main entrance that there were no walking dead nearby. CJ climbed over the back seat and out the open door after her master

"Right, lets do this fast, everyone who's not staying will go in car Alpha" the one she and Santana had been in charge of that still had most of the food in. The only thing that had been moved to car Beta was the bag of dog food. "Car Beta will stay here for those of us who are staying, to go to the bunker in later"

They did as they were told, Sam and Finn worked together with the support of Santana and Blaine to get Artie out of the car so they could put him in the other one. Normally they would leave him in his chair and put him in the back of the car, but in the Alpha car, the food supplies were in the way so they planned for him to sit on the bench and his chair would be collapsed and put in the back with the passengers.

They all stood between the two cars as Mike, Tina and Finn volunteered to stay behind, Quinn also volunteered stating as it was her suggestion initially, she felt it only fair to take some responsibility and stay behind. She explained to the group as a whole when her words were really only meant for one person the girl with the blue eyes that watched her with worry. No surprises that Rachel and Santana (and by default: CJ) were all staying too.

"Be careful Q" Puck said as he let her say a temporary goodbye to Beth. Their little unit was close within the bigger group, the 3 of them, Brittany and Lord Tubbington... who was already in the alpha car. Quinn wrapped her arms round Puck and Beth, careful not to squish the little girl too much.

As Quinn finished squeezing Puck and Beth tightly, the blonde with the short hair noticed Brittany standing against the jeep, looking at her feet. She had told her girlfriend they should keep their relationship a secret, but she knew that wasn't fair after whatever it was she had with Santana and how closeted that was.

She walked straight up to Brittany, gently gripped the taller girl's wrist and yanked her close. The taller blonde squeaked with surprise as she near enough fell into her girlfriend's arms

"What are you doing?" the confused blue eyes connected with hazel ones

"Kissing my girl" she smirked, before she swallowed fear and then she was there, exactly where she wanted to be, with Brittany cupping her face as their lips were bought together. With this kiss Quinn remembered the gentleness from the first one... well until it wasn't enough, and both girls started to kiss, almost, with an urgency, to hold onto the moment and savour everything until they remembered every detail of the other girl being on their lips.

Puck, Rachel and Santana were the only ones who weren't surprised by what they saw, surprisingly, seeing as not much was usually kept secret in the Glee club. Even Kurt the gossip was surprised, he normally knew, or could guess at what was going on around him, but with their lives all in the state they were in, he had an excuse.

Santana rolled her eyes, she knew this type of behaviour from Brittany and she always suspected it was hidden within Quinn, but this; this was some show

The Latina nudged Rachel who broke from her trance of watching the two blondes and remembered what she was supposed to be "Come on guys you need to get in the car" she started ushering, Kurt Blaine, Sam, Artie and Puck with Beth to the car

"Why do you have to stay?" Brittany said tearfully when the pair came up for air

"It was my idea, I have to be responsible" she explained as she smiled sympathetically "It's okay, we won't be long and then I'll be with you again"

"You promise?" Brittany pouted

"Promise" Quinn smiled confidently as she kissed the pouty lips softly.

Rachel stood by helping the others to get in the car, she saw the way Quinn and Brittany spoke to each other, she saw the way they looked at each other, the way they touched innocently. She was jealous, she wanted that. She looked to Santana, and saw the new side of Santana there, helping to get Artie into the back of the car. She wanted to be with the Latina so much it hurt, but, of course, she feared rejection and losing her latest best friend.

Quinn took Brittany's hand as she led her to the passenger side of the jeep, she opened the door for her girlfriend to get in and shut it behind her. Brittany wound the window down and leant out to kiss Quinn again

"I'll be with you again soon" Quinn reassured her, her hand cupping the side of Brittany's face

"You better be" Brittany said menacingly "or no more sweet lady kisses for you"

Quinn smirked "Like you could keep that promise, you like my kisses too much" she stated confidently

"I think you still need some work Fabray" the blonde in the car said with a giggle as Quinn's face dropped and an eyebrow rose. She cut Brittany's giggle off with another searing kiss, as she pulled away again she felt Brittany push forward, like she didn't want to let go

While there eyes were still shut, dazed from the kiss she whispered softly "Are you sure about that?"

"We'll see" Brittany whispered back "When you're with me again"

The blonde outside the car, ignoring all her surroundings in favour of only paying attention to Brittany stepped back to keep herself from standing there and kissing her all day "I'll see you soon" Quinn said more seriously "I promise"

The door at the back of the car slammed shut, meaning they were ready to go, Puck climbed into the driver's seat, placing Beth on Brittany's lap. Lord Tubbington was still stretched out on the dash board in front of them, exactly where he'd been since they left the house.

"I love you" Quinn said sill looking into those blue eyes

"I love you too" Brittany's reply was muffled over the start of the vehicles engine

Before Brittany could even repeat herself so Quinn could actually hear her say it properly Puck pulled away. The jeep sped across the hospital parking lot and back towards the highway, on its way to the safety of the underground bunker. Rachel, Santana, Finn, Mike and Tina all saw the heart break and worry on the blonde girls face as the car with her makeshift family and some of her friends disappeared, out of sight.

"Come on" Santana said softly from next to her old best friend "the sooner we get some stuff the sooner you'll be in her arms again" she reminded as motivation

"I know" Quinn sniffed and wiped her tears away with her sleeve. She then picked up her shotgun that she'd left on the floor when getting out of the truck to help the others move from car to car. "Lets get this over with"

...

"Brittany are you and Quinn an item?" Kurt asked form the back of the jeep

"No, she just felt like kissing her for no reason" The heavy sarcasm came from Artie

"I think it's cute" Blaine complimented

"I think it's hot" Artie had to add.

Sam just sat at the very back keeping quiet, it was none of his business and he didn't care right now anyway.

The blonde in the front with little Beth on her lap said nothing, she just kept her eyes on Beth and that reminded her she had to stay strong and focus on the child, she had to make sure she kept Beth safe for when Quinn was back with her again

"When did this happen?" Kurt asked Brittany another question "I mean was it lately, how long has it been"

Puck looked over to see a tear leak from the corner to Brittany's eye, before it was quickly wiped away with the back of her hand

"Was this going on before, you two were giving each other looks in the choir room weeks ago" Blaine asked

"No, no" Kurt interrupted his boyfriend "they've been different lately, so it has to be a recent development"

"Will you guys just shut up!" Puck yelled cutting the chatter in the back of the car. Beth only made one whiny noise at his outburst; she didn't start crying as Puck raised his voice.

"Thank you" Brittany muttered. Puck just reached across and squeezed Brittany hand gently, he was worried for his friends, of course, but mostly his baby momma they'd left behind. He needed her to be there for their little family within their community.

They all sat in silence and their thoughts all turned to the 6, well 7, that stayed to loot the hospital.

**Thanks for reading, if you are extra amazing and do review and you don't have an account, can you put a name in the review so I know who I'm thanking in the next chapter, thanks in advance :)**


	18. Hospital

**Just want to say thank you so much for the reviews everyone, so I managed to write another update sooner than I thought just to say thanks, its also the longest chapter yet by far. I worked really hard on this... while at 'work' so enjoy**

**And thanks to: SoFlaComet, J4M3Z XO, piecesof yourheart, LittleWriter11, Guest, ShadowCub, Guest, General Mac, TrustInFaith, Miles02 **(yay you got an account :) )**, Carryyouhometonight, Rediclufied. Espi, xtreme, Valerii. FaberryFan, agd30, l0vesparks007, Guest, vdwade23, Gardenia2, Guest, amazinglife18, insert25centshere, twistarwanabe, Lovers Lymric Passions Poet, WankySnixx2124 and VickiiMadd**

**Okay on with the chapter**

**Posted: 11/7/12**

Hospital

"So... how we doing this?" Finn asked. The 7 of them stood in a line looking up at the hospital building in front of them. The day was growing old and the sun was starting to sink in the sky, this was starting to look like a bad idea but they were here now, they might as well get on with it.

"Split into pairs, grab what we can; bandages, antiseptic, antibiotics that sort of thing" Rachel said before marching back toward the jeep, she climbed into the back and lifted one of the bench seats revealing the compartment underneath. She started taking out boxes of ammunition "everyone make sure you've got enough ammo. If there aren't any Z's in there, there will be a tonne waiting for us when we get back out here anyway" she assumed

"You think they're still close?" Santana asked as she passed the boxes of rounds and cartridges to the others waiting behind her

"Despite using the highway I'm sure they're still on our tail" she kept her voice low, but there was something in her eyes saying she was keeping even more from Santana

"Rachel, what else, you can tell me" she leant further into the car to hear what the girl crouching inside might say

Rachel glanced cautiously at the people and dog waiting around behind the Latina before looking back into those dark eyes "Remember how I said they were primitive, murderous humans. That they just eat"

"It was a couple of weeks ago but yeah you said something like that. What is it, what's wrong?" She furrowed her brow in concern

"With them showing up like that at the last town... I feel like we're being followed, like they're hunting us. What if I got it wrong before?" she asked with worry

"It could just be a coincidence, just a swarm that happen to be behind us" Santana told her "Like we first thought"

"But what if they're smarter than we thought" Rachel bit her lip with worry and if the discussion wasn't about the possibility of them dying Santana would have been focused on how cute she thought the shorter brunette looked right now

"Well... we'll just have to not underestimate them" was all the advice she could give. There was a moment there, where they were both just looking at one another, Santana was sure for a second there Rachel had glanced at her lips and she knew she couldn't stop looking at Rachel's, the bottom lip still pinned by her teeth

"Come on guys, we should get moving" Quinn called over from behind Santana "get this done before it gets dark"

Santana huffed and turned swiftly to glare at Quinn "They're zombies, Q, not vampires"

"I meant for sake of visibility. Not all the street lights have been working lately if you haven't noticed" despite her tone she was smirking and Santana knew just why; Quinn had just got her revenge for a couple of weeks ago when Santana stopped an almost kiss between her and Brittany "We need to pair up" the blonde with the short hair reminded as Rachel jumped out the back of the Jeep and closed the back doors

"I pick Mike"

"I pick Tina"

Tina and Mike said in unison smiling at one another, and there was no arguing with them. Quinn was prepared to be paired with Finn when something unexpected happened

"I'll go with R-"

"Finn you're with me" Santana interrupted the taller boy. The group all looked at her in shock, shock that she hadn't picked Rachel "You got that?" she asked them all "that leaves you two, so let's get on with this shall we?" She started towards the door when a hand on her shoulder yanked her back

"What are you doing?" Quinn whispered harshly

"Finns a screw up, I can't have him screwing up with one of you" she whispered back just as harshly, before heading forward again Quinn having to jog to make up for the Latina's head start

"He only screwed up once" she pulled her to stop again "You should stick with her"

"No, he could mess up and I don't want my best friend or..._her_ to get hurt Q, please" she looked into those hazel eyes fiercely to show just how serious she was, they both glanced back to the other 5 who were slowly following and giving them weird, concerned looks

The Latina then pulled away from Quinn again and cautiously stepped through the gap where glass doors used to stand, now their shattered remains lay, glittering, on the floor.

Each teen cradled their gun as they ventured into the main reception through the front entrance. The front desk was obviously empty, there were papers thrown across the floor in front and the phone receiver sat unhooked on the top lip of the desk. There was a corridor to the left, one straight ahead and one to the right that had a door with the sign [Stairs] next to it

"Come on Finnocence" Santana called as she headed through the door leading to the stairwell. She couldn't even look at Rachel in case... in case it was goodbye; she just headed for the stairs that's all she had in her head.

"Um... we'll head this way" Mike decided heading down the corridor to the left, Tina following closely

"Looks like it's us three then" Quinn said peering down the hallway ahead of them to make sure she saw no movement, she then realised it was too quiet behind her "Rachel?" she swiftly turned to the brunette who still stood there (to Quinn's relief) but had a distant and hurt look in her eyes "Are you okay?" she asked tentatively as she approached the short brunette just as cautiously

"She just left"

Quinn didn't think she'd heard Rachel sound so weak and hurt since that time they talked about Finn by the piano when trying to write an original song... but this time it wasn't about Finn...  
>Obviously Rachel had recently come to rely on Santana friendship and support, well that's all Quinn assumed<p>

"Come on" the blonde encouraged by moving toward the double doors through to the corridor ahead "The sooner we get what we came here for the sooner we'll all be together again"

Rachel blinked herself out of her dazed worry "Yeah, you're right..." She shook her head "sorry, let's go" she started following Quinn "C'mon CJ" she called making sure her dog was with her

...

The Asian teen pair cautiously walked down their chosen hallway... hand in hand

"You're really brave Tina" Mike told her while keeping his voice low

"What makes you say that?" she smiled slightly, taking it as a compliment anyway. She looked to him only to be met with the side of his head

"Just you are, everyone seems to be looking out for one another and lately it seems like you've been taking care of me... I don't know if I've been taking care of you enough"

"Mike" she stopped and when he didn't she yanked his hand pulling him back to her "You've been looking after me, you know you have, I think we're the only even pair in there, the others are all one sided: Quinn looking out for Brittany, Blaine for Kurt, Sam for..." she was suddenly sad again. Mike was just quiet too as he started walking pulling Tina to go with him "You know what's weird?"

"What?" he asked softly

"_She_ only... went this morning and it feels like days ago" she said sadly

"I know what you mean, it's like we haven't had a chance to accept it" he thought out loud "Do you think Sam will be okay?"

"I-I really don't know" she bowed her head

Mike decided to pick a new subject "Do you ever wonder what was going to happen in the future?"

"Like?" she asked

"Well, like with us" he stopped at the corner, checking cautiously, poking his head round before continuing on with his girlfriend "I know me being a senior and you being a junior was going to try to mess up our relationship, but I always thought that wouldn't get in our way" he admitted with a shy smile

"I really wanted that too"

"I wanted to marry you one day Tina" he chuckled "What am I saying?" he stopped again and slung his rifle onto his shoulder. He then took the rifle out of Tina's hand and put it on the floor so he could hold both her hands and look right into those brown eyes he loved so much "I still want to marry you"

She laughed "And where are you going to even find someone to marry us" she scoffed

"I don't know, I'll find someone" he smiled "Rachel could marry us" he suggested as an after thought

"Rachel?" Tina just laughed again

"Yeah she's our captain, she can marry us" he said animatedly, something she usually only saw when he danced

"I thought that was for a captain of a boat"

"We'll get a boat"

She laughed again, it was music to his ears, music he could dance to, and in his head he was, dancing with happiness and excitement that he had Tina and could still have her forever

"You're crazy" she told him

"Crazy for you" he breathed as he pulled her into his arms "So what do you say, I don't have a ring but" he dropped to a knee, his hands still enveloping hers "... Will you marry me?" he asked as he looked up at her hopeful

She didn't really have to think about it "Yeah" she pulled him up again "I'll marry you" she then kissed him hard on the lips. When they pulled away they couldn't stop grinning at each other like a couple of love sick teenagers... oh wait a minute

Mike then picked up Tina's gun again and offered it to her, she politely took it and they were off again, wandering, cautiously through the abandoned hospital.

They finally came to a door that looked promising. It had no windows looking into it so it wasn't a patient's room and it was a single door so it didn't need to get a patient on a bed in it, like the OR or something... so they could assume it was a plain old storage room

"First storage room" Mike noted "Do you wanna open it or get ready in case there's something in there?" he asked his girlfriend as he released her hand

"I'll get ready to shoot" she smiled at him "Anyway, Santana told me I'm a better shot that you" she teased

"When did she say that?" he asked while feigning hurt

"After we had to run from that house when Finn let the Zombies in, I was using your gun, in the dark, and she told me later when we were at the sports emporium" she shrugged "Now open that door Mr Chang" she said readying her gun

"But of course, future Mrs Just Chang" he joked as he grabbed the door handle "One, two, three" on the 'three' he yanked the door handle down and shoved the door inward so he could get out of the way in case Tina needed to shoot.

Luckily it was clear. Tina managed a satisfied smile, happy that they'd found a store room full of equipment so quickly "Jackpot"

...

So far the tall one and the Latina (an unlikely friendship duo) had had no luck. They had found one store room but it was locked; Santana didn't want to waste ammo blowing the lock off and Finn wouldn't 'man up' (as Santana said) and risk breaking a shoulder bashing the door in. It was when they'd been standing there arguing that Santana noticed the blood on the floor that had seeped from under the door; maybe there was a reason it was locked. So they continued on along the corridors, in search of other store rooms and equipment.

"Rachel's really great" Finn decided to break the silence and after that sentence Santana was already feeling sick from his words

"Yeah I know" Santana rolled her eyes, immediately realising where Finn was going and not wanting to go there herself.

"Like looking out for all of us, it's just gotta be hard you know"

"Yeah" she said dryly, just whishing he'd shut up.

"It's good that she's let you be close to her, she needs a friend. I guess things have been weird between me and her since... stuff" he trailed off not wanting any more people to know about that embarrassment

"You proposed?" Santana asked assumingly, with another eye roll, she didn't want him tiptoeing around a subject she was already aware of

"Yeah, how did you know?" he asked with his constipated, furrowed brow look

"Rachel told me"

"She talks about me?" his eyes lit up, Santana was sure they had, despite not even looking at him, it was just the hope in his voice that led to her assuming that

"I guess" she shrugged "...it was a couple of weeks ago though" she said as if reminding herself. She would die if Rachel got back together with Finn, she didn't like thinking that there might still be feelings there on both parts despite what Rachel said in the early days of this whole thing

"I know she told me she was into someone else but I think she might have said it just because she doesn't want to have to worry about me like that. But she talked to you so maybe she does still like me" he just kept going, maybe the rambling was contagious if you spent too much time around Rachel, Santana wondered. Then again Rachel hadn't done much rambling lately "I mean girls talk to their best friends about guys they like right? So, do you think she still likes me?" he asked excitedly

All the thoughts the words he'd just said made Santana's stomach churn, she couldn't help it when she snapped at him "Look Frankenteen" she stopped in the corridor and looked at him, her usual fiery glare bearing... up(?) at him "she hasn't talked to me about that for a while, since the day we got Beth she doesn't talk about anything except the Z's lately, and actually we don't actually talk that much, if you hadn't noticed" no they just seemed to hug a lot

"Okay, jeez" he backed up against the wall "sorry, I was just askin-"

"Shh" she cut him off with the short hushing noise and turned her head swiftly to look down the lit hallway rather than at the... boy

"Okay we won't talk anymore" he said apologetically, thinking she just didn't want to talk

"No shut up you idiot" she said in a hash whisper "I thought I heard something"

...

"Is it me or is the lighting really dull. It's kinda dark outside so I guess I didn't notice" Rachel asked to try and create conversation. So far they'd already found waste bags and used them to take two bags full of blankets (foil and regular) as well as some antibiotics and a case with various meds inside, back to the car. They couldn't be sure what all of them were for but they might need them.

They decided they'd continue looking around for more meds, as they were thinking long term

"The power must be out" Quinn suggested "All these hospitals have backup generators for emergencies so that must be running"

"Oh of course" Rachel should have thought about that

"I've been thinking" Quinn started again in the silence as they stepped lightly down the hallways and through the waiting areas "When we get to that underground base, if it's been out of intended use for god knows how long, will there be power"

"That's what I was thinking, obviously it's going to be hooked up but I'm not sure if its gonna work"

"So we'll need a back-up generator of our own?" Quinn asked. She cautiously pushed a swinging corridor double door open. She kept it open by leaning against it to let Rachel through, and CJ who happily padded behind

"Thanks" she said quietly "well that would be ideal, I was thinking smaller generators for now, or you know those towable ones they use when there's road works to keep the traffic lights working, if we could get some of them for a few weeks"

"Then what? Power up the base" Quinn meant it as a genuine question

"I guess, it's all just temporary anyway until it's safe to go out again. I know some basic wiring" they knew that when she connected the camera wire at her house "we might be okay"

"But how temporary is temporary" Quinn mused with a sigh

"Exactly" Rachel mumbled "I've been doing some mental calculations so... I don't really want to say until I know more" she couldn't be sure of her numbers so she didn't share

"Yeah I get that, hopefully once we're at the next base you might be able to contact your dads, I mean that was the original plan wasn't it" she looked at Rachel who's eye brows had risen with surprise "What?" the blonde asked worried

"Just surprised that anyone listened to me" she muttered as she glanced down a corridor they were passing, for a second she though she saw movement, then nothing, it was clear

Quinn chuckled lightly "Berry, the world tumbles down around us and _you_ are the only one that's got a clue what to do, everyone has been listening to what you're saying" she glanced at Rachel who didn't look so surprised anymore "I'd even chance to say you've got a little fan club forming"

Rachel laughed at that "Oh yeah who?"

"Well, for starts, Finn" Rachel snorted at that "What you don't like Finn anymore?"

"No, you know that's over and why... besides I actually lo-like someone else" she then cleared her throat hoping Quinn didn't catch her slip up "So you and Brittany huh? I'll be honest; I didn't really see that"

"Yeah me and Brittany" she said quickly before eyeing the shorter girl next to her "So who is it you lo-like" she teased

Rachel shot a glare at her but Quinn kept that smirk on her face "it doesn't matter, I don't want to say something stupid and then lose their friendship" she muttered sadly as she bowed her head

"You know, I'm surprised. You were so into Finn, we could see straight through you, and yet here you are with lo-like feelings for _someone_... and yet we had no idea"

"Well sometimes you need to divert attention to throw people off" she mumbled again "I don't want to hurt people... anymore than I already have"

"Wait" Quinn's said making them stop "Who have you hurt?"

"All of you, I've let you get hurt with loss during this whole ordeal" she kept her head down

"Hey" Quinn spoke softly, something she didn't do often lately outside her little family unit. She gently placed her hand on each of the smaller girl's shoulders "Rachel, we're all alive because of you" she lifted the brunettes head by hooking a finger under her chin. She smiled sadly when she saw the tears in Rachel's eyes "We're alive and basically if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have Beth, you saved her remember, and I wouldn't have Brittany... and all my friends... and you" she added with a smirk

Rachel chuckled and sniffed "So I'm not your friend?" she raised with an arched eyebrow

"I guess we're still friends" she shrugged playfully

"Brittany's lucky to have you, to have the person she lo-likes" she said making fun of herself "can I ask you something?" she glanced at Quinn who nodded as they continued to walk down the hallway "How or when did you know you liked Brittany?"

"I dunno really, I guess it just happened" she shrugged "I think the moment I actually realised was last summer. She came to my house, with that damn cat and asked me if I could take care of him while she went on Vacation. I hate that cat and he hates me; I'm actually allergic to cats... but there she was and I found myself saying 'sure, no problemo' then wanting to slam my head against something hard for saying those exact words" they both laughed lightly as Quinn told her little story "She was so happy that I said I would, just her smile made me smile. She gave me a list of things that he needed, that taller than you" she chuckled and Rachel smiled slightly too at the friendly teasing "Then she told me Santana was going away with her, in that innocent way she does and I felt my heart sink into my stomach... and I wanted to cry but I didn't know why... a couple of days before she got back I realised what it was... I had feelings for her, I don't know how or for how long... I just did"

"You know, you've changed" Rachel told her "I think you've changed the most out of all of us"

"Well sometimes the end of the world is a good reason to change. Change into someone you want to be for your own happiness and even, someone you need to be, for those around you"

"Like being strong for Brittany, so she knows she can rely on you"

"Exactly" she agreed "Or you pretending to be unbreakable and not opening up your heart because you _know_ we all turn to you for leadership"

"What? What do you mean, opening my heart?" She asked as they wandered into another reception area, this one had the chairs from the waiting area thrown about the room, more paper and even clip boards on the floor. One of the long fluorescent light fittings was hanging from one end from the ceiling, a few sparks spitting from the exposed wiring

"If you lo-like someone, then tell them, it makes this whole thing easier" she said sagely "Besides I'm sick of all of you being so hesitant, its gonna be the lonely hearts club before I know it" she laughed lightly again.

They were both startled when the phone at the reception desk started ringing. They looked at one another with matching creased brows before looking back at the phone. Rachel shrugged before layer Thumper on the top desk and hoping over. She nearly slipped on the puddle of blood on the floor the other side of the desk. She hadn't even noticed it before even with the blood up the wall behind the desk too. It looked like someone had painted the wall with some ones intestines

After regaining her balance she picked up the phone "Hello?" she asked cautiously

_"This is receptionist Lopez, if you could kindly make your way to the exit"_ she stated calmly before changing her tone _"Before the fucking Z's eat our ass's!"_ she yelled as they heard a gunshot on the other end of the line

_"Santana?"_Rachel heard what sounded like Mike on the line too, but it sounded like he was on another phone in the hospital, separate from Santana

_"Who do you think this is, the fucking hospital_ _fairy?"_She yelled loud enough for even Quinn to wince at the sound _"get the fuck out, 2nd and 3rd floor are crawling"_There was another loud gunshot, Quinn and Rachel heard it both over the phone and muffled from a couple of floors above them.

"Santana where are you, we can help get you out" Rachel asked frantically

_"Don't worry about us, we'll get out, just meet us out front"_ She told Rachel before cutting the phone line off

"Mike are you still there?"

_"Yeah, meet you out front"_ he disconnected the call on his line too

"Uh Rachel? We really got to get out of here" Quinn said as she started backing up

"I know" she said as she hopped back over the desk and grabbed thumper

"No look" she pointed her shot gun to the hallway they were going to head down next, those things had appeared from nowhere and were stumbling towards them

"Shit" Rachel heard a chair being nudged behind them, she turned swiftly and more of those things were blocking the way they knew as the way out "ah... this way" she guessed taking one of the two other corridors away from those things. She quickly swallowed her words as one of those Z's (as Santana had started calling them) came out one of the hospital rooms. It was instinct as Quinn and Rachel shot it full of lead, even blasting one of its arms clean off.

As they reached the corner of the hallway another walking dead appeared, CJ leapt forward shoving it down onto the ground before getting out of the way so Rachel or Quinn could shoot it while it was vulnerable. They noted this one had a bit mark in his arm, dried blood around it, he was also wearing a lab coat... he must have worked here

Where that un-dead had appeared from a wall of more of them were approaching.

"Oh shit" Rachel breathed before thinking. They might be able to shoot their way out, but it looked so dense and those things were closing in.

Another shot ringing out from next to Rachel actually made her jump; Quinn had just shot the window shattering it. She used the butt of the gun to clear away the pointed edges of glass that were still attached at the frame "You got a better idea?" she asked the shocked brunette

"No I'm just surprised I didn't think of that" she went to grab CJ but Quinn stopped her

"You go first" she stopped to shoot one of the approaching dead as that one was getting close "Its a 5 ft drop, I'll pass her"

Rachel just nodded quickly before taking of her hoody and laying it over the bottom edge of the window before she climbed out. She dropped to the floor heavily, bending her knees as she landed to soften the landing. Thumper, who was still in her hands, was placed on the concrete ground while she waited for CJ. She heard barking and more gunshots from the broken window before she was met with a face full of whiny dog.

She had managed to catch CJ with an 'oomph' as the wind was knocked out of her. She placed the dog on the floor and petted her down to make sure she was okay.

The blonde with the short hair quickly dropped down next to her. None of them needed instruction to run for it, round the building and back to the car. As they got nearer the car they saw Mike and Tina dart from the main entrance

"Are you two okay?" Quinn asked immediately, although slightly out of breath

"Yeah we're fine, we didn't even see any of those things" Tina said confused

"Well we didn't get that far into the hospital anyway" Mike pointed out "We found a lot in storage room just inside, but we already reloaded the car"

"Yeah this is all we got on our second trip" Tina held up a green padded case similar to one Quinn and Rachel had retrieved earlier

"Its like they were waiting for us" Rachel muttered to herself

"What was that?" Quinn asked

"Nothing" she dismissed her thoughts, not wanting to scare anyone right now "Where are Santana and Finn?" She asked

"Well they were further inside so it might take them longer to get out" Quinn reasoned, trying to make herself believe nothing bad had happened either "Oh look there's Finn" she said with relief

"But I don't see Santana" Rachel added, she tried to remain calm and not panic, she kept her eyes on the doors, hoping...

"Hi guys" Finn panted

"Where's Santana?" Rachel demanded as she held back panicky tears

The tall boy turned around, and was just as surprised to not see Santana behind him "I-I dunno, she was right behind me, I swear. She yelled at me to just keep going-"

Rachel grabbed him by the shirt and bought his head down to her level "When was that!" she demanded more fiercely this time

"I think the stairwell, between 2nd and 3rd, but the one at the back not the one we went up first" he told her quickly, not liking this really angry Rachel, it kinda reminded him of a certain Latina

"Okay" she released her hold on him "You all need to leave" Rachel told them urgently, shoving at least the tall boy in the direction of the car. CJ was getting really confused with all the shoving and emotions right now. She just watched

"We can't leave her" Tina protested

"We're not, you guys get going, I'm going to get her"

"No Rachel you can't just go in there you'll get torn to shreds, at least think about this" Mike tried to reason with her

"I have to go back for her" she started backing up before they could grab her and throw her in the car "I _have_ to" she wasn't sure if they'd actually do that but she didn't want to wait and see

"We weren't saying leave her Berry, we just mean wait a second, least let us think about this. I thought you liked to plan" she reminded the short brunette. Even if time was running out, a plan could still be devised "We'll work together to get her"

"No Quinn, we're wasting time. And you have to get back to Beth and Brittany" she passed her the car keys, well the spare car keys as Santana and Brittany had swapped their car keys earlier "get them all back safe, please"

"I will" she promised "and then I'll come back for you, both of you" she wanted to be confident with her words; that there would be people to come back to

"Please don't, it's too dangerous" she told Quinn as she pushed her towards the car "you know how to drive this right?"

"Yeah, Brittany taught me" she smiled lightly despite the situation, because of Brittany.

"Good, just follow the gps" The short Brunette opened the door for Quinn who quickly climbed in, she slammed the door shut securely.

Quinn wound the window down before Rachel could run off "Rachel" the girl stopped and looked back at Quinn "be careful and keep each other safe until I can get here"

"Do not come back for us" she said more defiantly this time "We'll find you, wait for us: 3 days" she instructed. Before Quinn could reply she was running round to the back of the car just as Finn was climbing in.

"Rachel!" Tina called out from inside, getting the smaller girls attention "Here, you need it more than I do" she passed Rachel the assault rifle Rachel had given her a few days earlier. Tina and Mike also quickly handed her any ammo they had left.

"Thank you, stay safe guys" she said with genuine appreciation as she slung the rifle with the strap onto her back and shoved the ammo into her Jean pockets, really wishing she still had her hoody. She was at least thank full that she'd put one lighter and one packet of cigarettes into her back jean pocket, she was sure she'd need one after this... because she had to remain positive and be was sure that there would be an 'After', after this.

"I'm sorry Rachel" Finn told her "I really am"

She ignored him, not completely intentionally but her mind was elsewhere right now "CJ, in you get girl" she told the German shepherd. The dog didn't move though, she just planted her back side firmly on the ground and stared at her master "CJ!" the shorter girl grew more impatient "We haven't got time for this" The dog barked at her as if trying to reply in argument "Fine" she huffed slamming the door "But if you get eaten don't come crying to me" she patted the side of the car letting Quinn know she could go

"I'll be back for you Berry" Quinn yelled out the wound down window before hitting the accelerator, the car's movement was a bit jerky as Quinn tried to find the right release on the clutch as she moved the car away. Rachel was sure it was going to be a comfortable ride but Quinn would get the hang of it... if not maybe Finn could actually make himself useful.

The sun was setting leaving the sky a reddy pink colour and setting a dark and bloody atmosphere behind the building that Rachel stared up at once again. She had her companion at her side and a building full of death in front of her, but that didn't deter her, because the love of her life was trapped inside too. She reloaded her shotgun in preparation "Okay, CJ it's just you and me" she cocked the gun "Let's get our girl"

...

"That's enough out of you Bitch!" Santana sneered as she blew the head off the groaning carcass that was nearing her. She backed herself through a door for cover as she reloaded her shotgun, at least she was out of sight, she hoped a few would be dumb enough to not figure out where she'd gone, only the ones who saw her escape. As she fiddled with the cartridges reloading her shot gun she saw bottles lined up on a shelf in the corner

It was then that she realised she was in a doctor's office

"Seriously doc, Sambuca in the office?" Scotch, Bourbon, even Whiskey she could understand for a tipple at the end of the day, but Sambuca? "hmmm, gives me an idea" she patted her pocket; yep she still had one of those lighters.

A few seconds later she was opening that door, the zombie that was there to 'greet' her was met with a face full of lead pellets. She grabbed the bottle and managed to slip out of the room deciding to go left as it offered freedom instead of to the right of the office door, where a wall of the things moved towards her.

She shouldered the gun and started backing up the corridor, as she pulled a bandage out of her hoody pocket "Come on you Zombie bastards" she held the bottle up as she stuffed a piece of bandage in the opening of the bottle "You think you can handle a piece of this fine Latina ass" she glanced over her shoulder to make sure it was still clear "Or am I too _hot_ for ya" she fiddled with the lighter, managing to the light the hanging length of bandage "How about a drink first" she threw the bottle hard as she yelled "Flaming Zombuca!"

Yeah it was lame, but Santana's strength was usually through her words

The glass bottle shattered as it hit one of the front zombies right on the forehead, the flying liquid easily caught light and the wall of Zombies became a wall of... flaming Zombies.

She wasn't surprised when the sprinkler system turned on to try and douse the flames of the screaming walking dead. Their almost human scream shook her for a second, but they weren't human any more. She couldn't let herself think they were, then she was nothing more than a murderer. She turned and ran, visibility slightly impaired from the indoor rain.

She rounded a corner nearly losing her footing on the wet floor. She did however loos her footing when she almost collided with another one of those: "Fucking bastard" she yelled at the damn thing as she ended up getting floored on her ass

She scrambled for her gun as the thing reached down to grab her. She was about to kick its legs out from underneath it when:

*BANG!*

The thing, the it, just exploded in a fleshy goo in front of her face. She cowered at the shot, feeling some of the goo splatter her. She dared to look up and was more than relieved and a little shocked at who was looking down at her.

"Rachel" she couldn't help but smile before reality set in, the reality that Rachel was here with her in this death trap and the reality that the same girl could have just killed her "You could have blown my fucking head off" she yelled up at the girl as she had to spit the water away from her mouth

"Well I didn't" The short brunette stated: matter-of-fact-ly

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" she asked as CJ greeted her too. She patted the wet dog on the back, before grimacing and wiping her hand on her jeans.

Rachel just sighed and offered the girl a hand "come on" she dragged her up off the floor then started running.

As they ran, Rachel almost slammed into a zombie as it stumbled out of a patient's room, but Santana caught her wrist pulling her back, spinning Rachel round behind her as she shot the thing. Another one came from the room opposite, Santana raised a foot shoving it back into the room before shooting it too.

"I guess we're even now" the water hitting the walls and floor created a noise so Rachel had to yell

"You still got some explaining to do" Santana yelled back

CJ decided to yap feeling left out and it made the two girls smile.

They started running again, dodging and shooting as they went. At one point Rachel swapped her shot gun, sliding it onto one shoulder as she grabbed the assault rifle. She ended up using it as a club before she could ready herself to shoot it. She smashed a zombie round the head with the butt of the gun.

The lights flickered off then on then off then on and finally off, the sprinklers stopped too. The building was now out of power, but hey; at least it had stopped 'raining'

They darted through a double door, as the doors swung shut Santana stopped and locked them with the sliding locks situated at the top and bottom of each door. With the area safe for a second they wordlessly agreed to take a quick breather. Santana took off her soaked hoody, so it was inside out, and wiped the remaining zombie gook off the top of her head (luckily her face had been shielded when she got 'zlimed'). She then turned to Rachel;

"Rachel, why did you come back for me? You could have gotten killed, they need you!" Santana yelled while still breathing heavily having not quite caught her breath yet. She chucked the hoody on the floor

"I'm sorry, I was being selfish" Rachel admitted, breathing heavily too

The taller girl just scoffed "Being selfless is more like it-"

"No, I was acting for myself, I didn't think of them and that they might need me. I was thinking of me and what I want" she stood up straight and stepped closer to Santana so she could look into the taller girls dark eyes

"I don't understand-"

"I can't do this anymore, I just can't" she shook her head and tears started to form in her eyes "and seeing Quinn and Brittany together just over the past couple of days; seeing them that happy, and all I feel is-is... jealousy..." she breathed the last word because she was trying, so hard, to hold back her tears

"Rachel, what's wrong?" Santana asked with her brow furrowed as she took an innocent step closer and innocently placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder "just tell me"

She stared far into Santana's eyes with her brow creased and worry on her face, but it wasn't worry for the walking dead the other side of the door, she just couldn't take it anymore "Remember what we talked about in the car the other week when we got Beth, how I was trying to tell you to just tell the person you have feelings for, that you like them"

Santana nodded, her brow still furrowed. She wasn't sure if she liked where this was leading

"I should have taken my own advice" Rachel continued "I can't see you every day and not want to be right by your side, I can't see you vulnerable without wanting to hold you and tell you everything will be alright, I can't feel scared and not want to have you be there in the same way for me: I'm in love with you Santana, and I don't care that you know it and that you can hurt me now because I finally said it. I love you" she punctuated every word, as a few tears did escape, getting lost in the water droplets already on her face "I don't know for how long I just do, and I can't help but feel hurt every time I see you and I know you'll never be mine-"

She'd been staring into the raven haired girls dark eyes the entire time but hadn't noticed how close they were getting in her whiny, tear filled, ramble. She gasped at the contact of the other girl's pair of lips pressing so gently against her own as if Santana was expecting Rachel to move away. Highly unlikely after what she'd just confessed.

Rachel's eyes fluttered shut as she pushed back making the kiss more forceful. Her hand found its way to the back of Santana's neck as the Latina's arms slipped round Rachel's middle. The shorter girl traced Santana's lower lip with her tongue, unable to believe this was really happening. Santana parted her lips and found the tip of Rachel's tongue with her own. The darker haired girl moaned against her will, at the feel of Rachel against her mouth and body.

Santana had tried to imagine this with Rachel before but nothing compared to the real thing, having Rachel pressed against her as they drove their kiss deeper, it was more than just breath taking. This kiss couldn't compare to any Santana had had before, she thought Brittany was a good kisser but this was even better, maybe because this included feelings, real, strong feelings.

She released one arm from round Rachel's middle and bought her hand up to trace the side of Rachel's face as if trying to memorize its shape, along with trying to memorize the feeling of Rachel's lips on her own. Her hand also tucked a strand of Rachel's soaked hair behind her ear and wiped away the tears and water droplets on the shorter girls face. She wanted to be there forever to brush away all of Rachel's tears, and she wanted to remember this moment, for just as long... even if they were stood in the middle of a hospital corridor with hundreds of walking dead trying to get to them too.

The breaking of glass and CJ barking tore them apart; they left each other cold where before they had been pressed together. The walking dead were against the barracked door, pale arms reaching through the broken windows of the double doors. Rachel and Santana looked at one another again, smiles each tugging at their lips

"Come on" Santana offered her hand to Rachel who quickly took it and was whisked away by the Latina, running down the hall way, an excitable dog on their heels "Let's find a way out of here"

If only it wasn't easier said than done.

**Yeah I went for the cliché cut off kiss :/ sorry if it's disappointing, but thanks for being patient**

**Let me know what you think...**


	19. Trapped

**I am so genuinely sorry this took so long to update**

**Thanks for the reviews, that's easily the most reviews I've ever received for a single chapter and you said such nice things, you are all truly amazing people :)  
>So thanks to; General Mac, ShadowCub, SoFlaComet, juniorpoki, J4M3Z XO, VickiiMadd, Valerii. FaberryFan, Charisma28, Roxas-Beast747, Charisma28 (again), xtreme, vdwade23, LittleWriter11, anonni, JayMonsta, Serashia, TrustInFaith, Just Another Crazy Radical, Guest, Guest, piecesofyourheart, GleekFoLife Gardenia2, nickd93, Lovers Lymric Passions Poet, Jaelle90, Wolflikeme, emmacancook, twistarwanabe, amazinglife18, jhickson001, Jodie, LynDraven, Miles, A C one, Guest, TheChosenSlayer5by5 and xphrnzrjh<strong>

**As for the negative review from 'disappointed'... I know it was you: LeftMyHeartInParis, you bitch, Tivafivanatomy told me -_- lol**

**Posted: 28/7/12**

Trapped

Brittany was woken by loud knocking on the bunker door. She fallen asleep on one of the sofa's just inside. The bunker was disguised as a normal house, only everything was reinforced and the basement doubled the floor space in the two story house.

As soon as the noise registered to Brittany she was off of the sofa and running to the door; there was a protected slot in the door so they could look out. On the other side she could see her friends, and girl friend, who had been left behind. She quickly turned the lock then pulled the handle and opened the heavy door, letting them in.

... Only they didn't come inside

Brittany peeked from behind the door to see what was going on. The gun shots being fired frightened her, she was even more terrified when she saw the dead surrounding them. Tina and Mike managed to get through the door to safety. Brittany dared to venture just one step outside to grab Quinn.

The Blonde, who was further from the door than she had been a few seconds ago, turned to look at her girl friend and smiled. Brittany smiled brightly back; but it didn't last long. The entire scene unfolded like it was being played in slow motion.

Brittany's smile dropped as a zombies mouth descended onto Quinn's shoulder, the blonde with short hair screamed in pain as the walking dead ripped her flesh away with its teeth. Another pale being grabbed Quinn's other arm and ripped it off making her cry out again

"No!" Brittany yelled. She felt two arms slip round her middle as she was dragged back into the house, but not before she saw Hazel eyes connect intensely with her own, and then that light in those eyes was gone as the girls head was ripped from her body-

"Brittany, Brittany" Was whispered next to the sleeping girl's ear, she woke slowly as she raised her head to see who'd woken her. Her girlfriend was sat on the sofa next to her head and had been nudging her softly. She scrambled to sit up and wrapped her arms round the slightly shorter girl

"Quinn, you're alive" she breathed a sigh of relief

Quinn held her tightly too, of course she was alive, she'd promised they'd see each other again, and right now she just needed to hold her girl. Brittany looked over to the door to the garage where Mike Tina and Finn were emerging. They didn't use the front door like in her dream, or rather; night mare. They had a car so they would come in through the garage.

"I missed you"

"I was only gone 2 hours" Quinn chuckled, still holding onto the other girl

"I still missed you" she mumbled into Quinn's shoulder, as she squeezed her even tighter

"Where's Rachel and Santana?" Kurt's voice sounded, weakly, from behind Brittany. The words he'd uttered made the taller blonde release her girlfriend and look questioningly into her hazel eyes.

"Santana-" Before Quinn could get a whole explanation, or even a second word out Kurt, Blaine and Brittany broke out into sobs. Artie, Sam and Puck, bowed their heads "No wait, Santana got left behind" she didn't mean to glare so obviously at Finn, then again Mike and Tina didn't mean to at the same time, either, but it was a natural reaction "Well she got stuck in the hospital, Rachel and CJ went back for her"

The sobbing was racked in but they all knew they couldn't relax yet, that still wasn't good news. "What happens now?" Artie muttered the question on everyone's mind, as he wheeled himself closer to the group by the sofa

"I'm going back for them" Quinn said as she tried to stand up, only to be dragged back down by her girlfriend. Arms were wrapped securely round her like they'd never let go

"You can't go" Brittany protested

"I have to, it's my fault they're even there" Quinn pointed out "I have to go back"

"Quinn, don't be stupid" Sam stepped forward from the corner of the room "We shouldn't be risking ourselves for each other"

"Oh so you'd prefer if we just fend for ourselves?" she couldn't help but get angry, obviously this boy was talking from a type of experience: loss. She freed herself from Brittany and stood up to confront Sam "If you want that then there's the door" she pointed. She then sighed "where would we be without Rachel, and where would she be without Santana's support" Finn looked like he was about to put his two cents in when Puck stopped him with a serious look and a shake of the head

The blonde boy just bowed his head as he mumbled his explanation "It's not that, it's the fact that if you go out there you could get killed; and I can't let you do that to Brittany" Quinn's glare softened a little. He managed to look up, fresh tears stinging his eyes "Rachel and Santana both knew the risk of being there or staying behind"

"She told you to go Quinn" Tina spoke up from behind the blonde. She was still stood by the garage door opposite the sofa, holding Mikes hand "and then Rachel said it was too dangerous to go back"

"But no one would have been there if I hadn't said" Quinn told them all; showing she felt guilty "I will never forgive myself if I don't try" she was now as tearful as Brittany at the thought of her best friend and the girl her best friend had feelings for, dying because of her. She felt two arms slip round her waist, and recognised who it was immediately, she turned in her girlfriends embrace hugged Brittany back "I have to go" she said softly as she leant her forehead against Brittany's and looked into those shiny blue eyes

"I'll go with you"

Quinn smiled sadly, knowing she wanted Brittany with her, but she couldn't let that happen "No you need to stay here, where it's safe"

"Then you should stay here too" Brittany pouted making Quinn chuckle lightly

"I'll be back again soon; I promise" she kissed her quickly on the lips; deliberately forgetting about the audience in the room. She then peeled Brittany's arms off of her and with another quick light kiss she was back to garage. She gave Puck a meaningful look as she passed him, she kissed Beth, who was sitting in Pucks arms, on the forehead and then left. She quickly took the box of food cans out the back of the car and dropped them onto the garage floor. Then she was in the car, the garage door was rising and she was gone before Brittany even had the chance to run after her.

Sam, who was closest, was quick to catch Brittany as she broke down into tears, yet again. He gently helped her to sit back down on the sofa as she clutched at his hoody. He just held her, hushed her and tried to tell her it would be okay.

He didn't want anyone to be going through what he was going through right now, losing someone you loved. So what if they were teenagers and were often called naive, they knew their feelings, he knew it hurt. Losing Mercedes hurt, in a way he couldn't and didn't want to explain, and the forever wondering about what happened to his family made him sick to his stomach.

...

Blaine had quickly led Kurt away to the room they'd chosen as theirs. The Base that looked like a seemingly normal house on the outside was set up like some military operation inside. As the younger boy led his boyfriend to sit on the edge of one of the cots Kurt started crying again

"I can't lose her too" he sniffled "I know we haven't been close lately but Rachel, Mercedes and I, we used to be so close... I-I don't know what I'd do if lost you"

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you either" Blain told him as he held Kurt closely

They felt like they were the only family either of them could rely on... well Finn was hardly reliable. Besides Finn had been like a puppy trying to follow Rachel round meanwhile being shoved back by CJ and the obedient puppy Santana was becoming... well she was a self confessed Bitch.

"Lets try and sleep" Blaine said softly

"I don't know if I can" Kurt muttered, wiping the tears from under his eyes with his sleeve "But I'll try" he said with a weak smile. If he could sleep at all it would only be while he was in Blaine's arms

Blaine settled onto his back letting Kurt cuddle into his side. They held onto each other as they tried to sleep, they were exhausted mentally and physically but the whole ordeal made sleep impossible. Kurt felt lucky, lucky to have his boyfriend with him, He felt comforted by the gentle breathing he felt against his head and the steady heartbeat he felt under his hand which lay on Blaine's chest.

_'Blaine'_ he thought _'Blaine, who shot his own father, who was brave enough to take those steps out of the Jeep that day that led him to that dreadful scene. Blaine who's been there for me despite his own loss'_ the guilt hit Kurt, a different guilt, not the guilt for not volunteering to go with Mercedes, his best friend, not for not staying at the hospital, none of the guilt from those things that he felt every waking moment, but a new type of guilt. A type that came from something that he couldn't believe he hadn't thought about.

Yes he'd lost his family, he was pretty sure of that, his dad and step mom, he just knew it wasn't good when Santana and Rachel couldn't make eye contact with him or Finn after visiting his dads tire shop. But at least he still had Finn, even if he barely spoke to him. Blaine was left with the Empty worry of not knowing about his brother. And they'd all lost Mercedes today.

He clenched his eyes shut tightly making the tears squeeze out from them. He felt Blaine shift and move beneath him

"You're crying" the slightly younger boy whispered. He had felt the tears seep though his t-shirt "It's going to be okay Kurt, I won't ever let anything happen to you" he said as he wrapped his arms round his boyfriend even tighter.

...

"Santana you kissed me" Rachel couldn't help but smile but at the same time, she didn't know exactly why the other girl had done that

"Yeah" Santana smiled back, one of those smirky smiles that meant she was pleased with what she'd accomplished. They were crouched low next to the door to yet another storage rooms. They'd ran from the Z's by the double door where they just kissed (neither of them could quite believe that still) and had run into a load more just further down the hallway. Taking a right turn they slipped into a store room

"Why?" Rachel asked worried

"Because" Santana stopped, the smirk faded as she thought about the seriousness of this. Did she really have to explain? She had hoped she'd got all her feelings across in that kiss. But this was Rachel, and considering her own past, Santana needed to make herself clear with words. "This isn't an end of the world hook up opportunity for me Rach" she explained softly, not letting herself break eye contact with the girl she loved "When we were in that car with Beth, If you'd held on one more second, I was about to tell you then; that it's you I have feelings for" she couldn't help but smile when Rachel did, it was so dark she could barely see it but it was there. She'd die happy if that was the last thing she saw; Rachel smiling. Even if her hair was a damp mess, her clothes dishevelled, and a heavily panting dog sitting next to her "And it's not just any feelings Rachel; I-I love you"

Now that look, the look Rachel gave her now, the beaming smile; even more beam-ier than any smile she'd ever seen and not one of those over exaggerated smiles, a real heart warming one; now that one was really the image Santana wanted in her head when she died.

But not yet, for now she could just spend time getting Rachel to smile like that.

"You do?" the shorter brunette asked, her voice probably wasn't supposed to sound so high pitched, that's why she chuckled lightly to herself

"Yeah I really do" Santana nodded with a stupid, love struck smile still stuck on her face

A noise that sounded like the scrapping of metal chair legs along the linoleum floor and some sort of heavy moan came from the other side of the door "So how are we getting out of here?" Rachel wondered out loud

"I have no clue" Santana admitted regretfully "But we will; all three of us" Because Rachel was so fond of that damn dog... and Santana was becoming fond of her too.

The Latina slowly pushed herself up with her back against the wall, Rachel slowly did the same and for a moment Santana remembered their first outing out of the 'Berry Bunker No. 1' weeks ago.

Santana opened the door very slowly and saw a few stumbling near the door. She closed the door again "Lets think, we're in a hospital what don't they have"

"An endless supply of ammo" Rachel answered with a light hearted tone

"Maybe we don't need ammo" Santana thought out loud as she started looking in the boxes on the shelves in the room "I found a flash light" she said triumphantly, taking it out the box and finding the switch. She flicked it on, nearly blinding Rachel who was stood on the opposite side of the free standing shelves "Sorry"

Rachel just waved it off "How did you set the sprinklers off?" Rachel asked

"Bottle of Sambuca in one of the offices, but a bandage in the top and lit it, with one of your lighters" she shrugged "The bandage burned up really quickly, but it worked"

"Sambuca, really" Rachel chuckled "a party doctor" she chuckled at the thought "well maybe we do that again"

"Yeah" Santana agreed "Not ammo but fire... if we can try and control it" she continued to go through boxes and stacks of little boxes of medication "What are we going to burn?"

"Bottles of alcohol" Rachel said from crouched on the ground by a lot of brown glass bottles, she picked one up and showed it to Santana "and we could use these" she picked up a packet of cleaning clothes that was staring in her face "as a 'fuse'"

"I think we're thinking too small though" Santana quirked an eyebrow "This place is a threat, its crawling"

"What have you got in mind?"

"My dad used to take me to work when I was a kid, he'd talk about how the hospital worked. I remember asking about the breathing masks, he said about oxygen stores" she let the end of her sentence hang there

"You wanna blow this place up" Rachel almost seemed excited about the idea, maybe because it was Santana's and Rachel was hoping she wasn't the only crazy one "Where were the stores?"

"Well at Lima General they were near the OR's"

Rachel thought for a second "We just passed them" she sighed with a little frustration, things were never easy "Shit, it'll be crawling"

"Not if we had a diversion" she slowly looked over her shoulder to the dog panting by the door. Rachel looked over to her too. The dog seemed to freeze; she stopped panting and tilted her head. Her pointy ears twitched, as if burning because she knew they were talking about her

"San" Rachel whimpered

"I know Rach" the raven haired girl said softly "But she'd be okay, she's survived longer than so many others just by herself, and she's fast and heavy; she'll just knock anything in her way over. And I'm pretty sure the infection can't even infect her, I mean have you seen the amount of random untested crap that dog eats" she chuckled

Rachel did too but she kept looking at the dog "But what if..."

"She can make it Rach, she needs to head back the way we just came, and those things broke through the door I locked so if she can head back through there, the Z's will be looking the wrong way. We barge through. Drop the pay load in the one of the OR's and then run like heck shooting what ever gets in our way... which will all be distracted by the dog that just ran through"

"Can you do that CJ?" Rachel asked, the dog tilted her head again

"She normally does what you say, if you tell her to, do you think she will?"

"I told her to find you and she led me straight to you" they both smiled at the dog, she was their family because she really cared for them. Or at least cared for Rachel so much that she knew the shorter girl needed the other to be happy. She looked at the dog again, she had faith in her and she might be their only hope "Okay, let's get ready"

Between them they were able to prepare the bottles of 100% proof alcohol that was used as to sterilise equipment. They stuffed pieces of the dry, new, cleaning cloths into the tops, allowing the cloth to soak up some of the alcohol making it more flammable. Soon it was time to put their plan into action

"Okay CJ" Rachel knelt down in front of the dog, she hugged her tightly and the dog seemed to lean against her too "You need to go girl" she pulled away from the dog "go outside yeah" she used a funny light voice to get the dog excited, as if they were about to play "Yeah outside, and wait there"

She reached up for the door handle as the dog started getting excited

"Ready girl" the dog padded from foot to foot in anticipation of going for a run "Ready" Rachel's breathing got heavier as the nerves for her dog. She opened the door open just enough for Cj "Go on then girl" she encouraged, and like a deathly bullet out of a gun, CJ shot out the store room and down the hall way.

Rachel froze as a walking dead passed the door and followed after CJ. With her breath held, she slowly shut the door

"We'll have to go now, why they're still distracted from just seeing her" Santana said as she grabbed the box they put all the alcohol bottles with the rags in the top, in. Rachel would be the protector with the gun

"Make sure you stay with me" Rachel smirked as she picked up the flash light "I don't want you getting left behind again". With a final nod Rachel opened the door and shone the torch down the hall way, she carefully checked behind them, the direction they didn't intend on going down "If we run, we might not need to even fire on them, they won't even reach use" Rachel hoped

"I'm behind you Rach, all the way" Santana breathed, trying too cool her nerves.

Rachel started down the dark hallway, Santana behind her holding the box like she'd said. As soon as they were round the first corridor they met a Z with its back to them, Rachel shot it without thinking and it slumped to the floor.

'_So much for not having to fire a shot' _"I think we should move faster" Santana encouraged, making them start a light jog through the hospital, she could handle it, even with the bottles in her arms.

"Wait" Santana stopped as she saw a few of the corridors they'd just passed had many walking dead in them, and those were now stumbling towards them. She'd only just seen them, getting caught in the briefest glances of light from the flash light Rachel was waving around as they failed to creep through the hospital

"What's wrong, is the box too heavy, I'll take it" Rachel asked all at once as she stayed on high alert, continuously glancing around them in case something crept up on them.

"No, no, I got an idea"

"Another one" Rachel chuckled nervously "You're full of them, today"

"Just to stop them gaining on us when we light up the OR" she explained as she pulled a rag stuffed bottle out of the box and grabbed her lighter, on the second attempt to flick the lighter to ignite she had a flame to ignite the rag. She tossed the bottle to an area they'd just passed.

The raging fire that spread across the floor blocking off the zombie filled hallways. She then threw another just to spread the fire. A body fell into the flames letting out that almost human scream again. Santana got lost, distracted by the body screaming in the hypnotic flame. That noise they made it scared her to her core.

When a shot rang out behind her she was bought back to reality; she scooped up the box and followed Rachel again, who'd just shot another Z full of lead

With some dodging and a few more shots fired they were soon at the OR they'd passed earlier

"Here" Santana nearly dropped the box on the ground before she remembered the bottle were glass. She passed three to Rachel who'd just shouldered her shot gun "Block those three hallways; we need to spread the fire anyway.

The fact the floors were damp in the area from when the sprinklers went off earlier didn't help. But the flammable liquid in the brown glass bottles was easily ignited.

Rachel did as she was told as Santana used the remaining 5 bottles to light up the OR like a furnace. They were surrounded by fire with only one route out, and hopefully CJ had distracted the Z's momentarily so they wouldn't see the two girls coming.

"Lead the way" Santana told her as she readied herself with the shot gun.

Rachel smiled at her, a smile of encouragement and false bravery. She happily made her way to through their planned exit. She still held the flash light. As she slipped the shot gun off her shoulder she tucked the flashlight under her left arm. She could hear the crackling of the fire behind her, knowing the flames would try to climb, perhaps ignite the tiles on the roof. Even if they were flame retardant, all materials had their limit and it was quickly getting hot in there.

By the time they'd found one of the back stair cases, the one Rachel and CJ had come up earlier, Rachel had had to switch from her thumper to her assault rifle. Santana was keeping quiet that she'd run out of ammo already. It wouldn't help to say anything.

As they charged down a dark cold corridor Rachel emptied her gun into one of the many dead that stumbled towards them.

"Shit I need to reload" Rachel patted at her jean pockets but couldn't find any more cartridges or rounds. she looked panicked as two more were getting close, Santana was already panicking but she was just trying to focus

Santana thought back to her Cheerios days, the days of being bottom of the pyramid and lifting the other girls "Rachel, grab my hands"

The shorter brunette seemed to be thinking something similar, she tightly linked hands with the Latina, who swung her round so she could raise her feet and kick down the 2 zombies. While they were down the two girls ran past, escaping through another double door.

Further along another grey skinned thing stumbled out a hospital room. Rachel saw him first, an old man in a paper hospital gown, an arm missing and blood round his mouth. Santana almost ran straight into him-it, whatever. "Santana!" Rachel shrieked in fear, as she grabbed the taller girls arm and pulled her close. She grabbed Maria and fired a shot straight between the dead man's cloudy eyes.

Somehow, by some miracle or Santana's genius ideas, they made it, they were both outside. Now to just get across many miles of Zombie infested land to get to the safety of the bunker with everyone else.

"Thank you for coming back for me Rachel" Santana said while trying to regain her breath

"You know I couldn't leave you behind" she smiled, then frowned, but her eyes brightened up when they heard that unmistakeably barking. They both looked up to see the faithful German shepherd bounding over to them. She'd made it out to their relief. Well of course she did, she was wonder dog.

with stupidly happy grins on their faces, they both dropped to a knee to welcome the happy dog with open arms, for their own little odd family reunion.

"We should really get away from the building it could go any second" Rachel said and as if on cue the side of the building ruptured as a first explosion echoed through the building

Rachel started to sprint across the parking lot away from the danger. Santana and CJ were quick to follow after their girl. The shorter girl stopped at some random old car in the middle of the lot. she started inspecting it and sizing it up

"Rachel of all the cars left in this parking lot, you pick the crappiest" Santana asked with disbelief as she looked at the other cars scattered across the tarmac plane

"Do you know how easy these are to hot wire?" she asked a rhetorical question as she opened the door. Santana hadn't even seen how she managed to unlock the crap heap

Rachel climbed into the car, sitting in the driver's seat upside down so she could reach the wires under the steering wheel

"How do you know how to hot wire a car?" Santana asked with a half furrowed half curious brow

She noticed Rachel pause before answering in the most innocent voice she could "I stole a car when I was 13"

"You what?" Santana laughed in surprise "I didn't know my girl, has always been such a bad-ass"

"Oh so I'm your girl now" Rachel said just before the engine came to life. She held out a hand for Santana to help her out. The Latina took her hand and helped her slip back out of the car, so she was the right way up again as well.

"You bet you're my girl" Santana smirked as she pulled Rachel close. Rachel smirked back too as she stretched onto her tip toes and initiated their second kiss, like the first one they forgot everything around them and just focused on everything about the other girl; the way their body felt pressed against them, the soft movement of their lips, the barking – wait the what? Oh right; CJ

As usual CJ's barking got their attention. She seemed to be barking at the walking dead on the far side of the car park heading their way. They could only see them because of the flames licking at the outside walls of the building illuminated the area but maybe CJ could smell or even sense them coming in some way seeing as she knew they were there so easily

The windows in the hospital behind them started to shatter from the heat building up inside. Then there was a ground shaking explosion and more windows were blown out. With a second explosion the side of the building was ruptured

"Shit we better go" Santana said what was on the three's mind as she encourage Rachel into the car. She opened the back door for CJ to get in; climbing in too so Rachel could start to drive away, before the fiery debris from the third loudest explosion, that had just taken a section of roof off, could rain down on them. She climbed through to the front passenger seat as CJ settled in the back

Rachel sped away from the hospital to somewhere safer through the dark streets. She took her hand off the steering wheel to find Santana's hand in the darkness. As soon as she did she threaded her fingers with Santana's and glanced at the Latina. Santana met her gaze and she saw the Latina, whose face was beautifully highlighted by the soft moonlight, smile softly at her and she smiled back.

Something told her, everything would be okay... if only she knew

...

Even with the headlights on full beam, visibility was poor on the very dark roads. Quinn knew it wasn't a good idea to drive so fast but she needed to get back to the hospital as quickly as possible. She swerved along the residential road, when another abandoned car came into view. She caught the front of her vehicle on one of the open doors of the black SUV, which lay hidden in the shadows.

The door snapped off the SUV, unfortunately it also broke one of the headlights on the jeep, extinguishing the light from that side as soon as the plastic (most likely) headlight casing was smashed.

"Shit" Quinn hissed, just what she needed, even less visibility

She tried to keep focused as she kept going, but when a walking dead was coming up quickly in front of the car as she sped forwards she gasped in fear and turned the steering wheel swiftly.

She felt the heavy vehicle threaten to spin but she pulled the wheel hard to bring it back, she felt the car mount the curb before dropping back down onto the road as she continued forward.

She then heard and felt the unmistakable tell table of a flat tire "No, no, no" she felt the rear right corner of the car get heavier before the front right corner did too "Shit" she stopped the car, knowing it was going to be too difficult to control. She slipped across to the passenger seat and without thinking got out the car to inspect the damage

Even in the dark she could see two flat tires, and she only had one spare on the roof "Fuck" she kicked the blown tire, seeing glass in the tread. That and hitting the curb must have done it and now she was left in the middle of the road, like she was being served up on a moon lit platter.

A noise from behind Quinn made her climb back in the car, slamming the door behind her then locking herself in "Damn" she sighed defeatist.

She thought of all her options, maybe move to one of the houses. But the headlight flickered as something passed across the front of the car and fear settled in again. Besides, the houses on either side of her looked so far away.

Travelling in the dark on foot was a bad idea; she could barely see anything out there. So maybe wait until morning then?... but what if she didn't make it, she needed then at the base to know... maybe the intercom on the car might work, even if she was miles away. It was worth a try

...

Puck had managed to get a little amount of sleep, but only because he was just that exhausted; it had been a long day and it wasn't over yet. Beth had fallen asleep face down against his chest, her tiny fist clutching at one of the draw strings on his hoody. He smiled down at his sweet and innocent girl. He then frowned at the fact her mother was out in the dangerous world. Of course he was worried for Quinn, and worried for himself, if something happened to Quinn not only would it hurt him, he'd have to look after Beth and Brittany... and Lord Tubbington.

With those thoughts dwelling, he couldn't try to sleep any more. He looked over at the other bed in the room, where Brittany had been laying when he fell asleep. But she wasn't there anymore. Only that fat cat lay sprawled out in the middle of the single cot.

He carefully sat up and got off his bed, careful not to disturb Beth as he held her. He ventured downstairs to the living area, where he found Finn snoring on the sofa.

The tall boy had insisted that he 'be on guard' and seeing as the other current bunk mates knew it wasn't really necessary, only to let everyone else know when the others were back (because they would _all_ be back) they let Finn take some responsibility.

The boy with the mohawk creased his brow in thought and concern when he saw the door to the garage wasn't shut properly

He kicked the snoozing boys foot waking him "Dude" he said in a harsh whisper when Finn only stirred a little. Now a little more awake he looked up at his friend "keep an eye on Beth for a sec will you"

"Sure man" Finn replied sleepily as he sat up properly, yawned and stretched, then watched as Puck laid Beth front down on the sofa next to his friend. With a silent nod to Finn he went to the garage door beyond the sofa. He pushed the door in and noticed the passenger door to the only car in there (the one Puck had driven half of them here in) was open. As he got closer he saw sneaker clad feet on the passenger seat. Brittany was laying awkwardly across the two seats, the top half of her curled up so her head was tucked in, but he was sure her face would be tear streaked.

The boy smiled sadly before deciding to wake her, she couldn't sleep in here , one reason; it was cold in the garage, being barely March (then again maybe it was still February; Puck couldn't remember) meant it was still cold outside. So he couldn't let her sleep in here; Quinn would kill him if Brittany got ill from sleeping in a cold car.

"Brittany, hey, Britt" he nudged her leg gently "Come on wake up" he shook her leg a little harder

"Huh" she sat up quickly "Are they back, is Quinn back?" she asked far too quickly for someone who'd just woken up. And just has he'd expected her eyes were red

"Not yet" he told her softly "What are you doing out here?"

"I was going to go after her, but Lord Tubbington must have stolen my car keys" she mumbled as she sat up, moving her legs to the driver's side foot well.

Puck patted his jean pocket subtly, making sure the car keys were still there. Earlier when Quinn had left again, that look she'd given him made him know he'd have to keep Brittany here at the bunker at any costs... including stealing her keys before she got any bright ideas.

The boy climbed into the car too, taking the passenger's seat "You know she still loves you right" Brittany just nodded while looking at her hands in her lap "And she's only doing this because she knows it's the right thing to do and because she cares"

"Yeah I know" Brittany muttered "I just don't want to lose her" she fell into Pucks un-expecting arms as she started crying again

"_Hello?"_ a voice rang out across the intercom, they didn't even know if it was on or if it could pick up communications if the engine wasn't running

"Quinn?" Brittany asked with a sniff and wipe of the eyes as she removed herself at Puck and looked to the intercom speaker on the dash board

"_Brittany?"_ Quinn sounded surprised, although she wasn't sure why, of course Brittany would be in the car having attempted to go after her _"Is anyone else there?"_

"Yeah Q, I'm here" Puck answered "What's up?" he asked with real worry

"_What are you doing in the car?"_

"Well your talking through us to it, so what does it matter?" Puck asked

"_Oh right"_ she muttered

"Quinn, what's wrong? Did you find them? Is it bad?"

"_No Britt, I um... I haven't found them"_ They heard her let out a slow shaky breath _"Um Puck? I need to talk to you alone, without Brittany"_ She said seriously

"No way, I'm not going anywhere" tears were back in Brittany's eyes, she wasn't stupid, obviously this couldn't be good news

"_Please Brittany"_

"No!" her harshness shocked Puck, she had been so quiet lately "I'm your girlfriend, I'm staying right here and you're going to talk to me too"

"_Okay, Britt... I love you, you know"_

"I know, I love you too"

"Q what's up?" Puck interrupted, needing to know the situation

"_Okay"_they heard her sigh heavily as if trying to calm herself _"Two of the tires have blown, I'm surrounded, I haven't got enough ammo to get out of this and... yeah it's all gone to shit"_

...

After Quinn confessed the truth she heard nothing, she wondered if the communications had been cut off, but the few lights on the dash board indicated they were still connected. That and the one headlight she had left streamed a yellowish light across the road in front of her. The occasional movement that crossed the beam of light only unnerved her further.

"Is anyone there?"

_"We heard you Quinn"_ she heard Puck say, it was slightly muffled though so she imagined Brittany was in his arms _"Just tell us where we are and we'll come get you"_

"No way in hell, you're not coming out here, it's getting dense, I won't let you" she flinched when she heard something hit the side of the army jeep. She looked into her rear view mirror but just saw darkness. Shrinking in her seat, she slowly reached down and picked up the shotgun from the passenger foot well, not wanting to make any sudden movements.

"_Wait, didn't Rachel show us how to use the tracker thing, so we can see where she is?"_ She heard Brittany ask Puck; damn her girl for being so smart.

"_Do you know how to use it?"_

"_Yeah I remember, its easy"_

She heard Puck ask and Brittany answer, she went to speak when something crossed the beam of light shining from the one working head light and her breath caught in her throat

"No, guys don't come out here"

"_No Quinn, I can't let you die"_ Brittany said weakly _"I just can't"_

"Puckerman; if you let anything happen to her, including let her try and come after me, my zombie carcass will hunt you down" she threatened, but he wasn't listening, or at least was pretending he wasn't listening

"_Okay, its found one satellite, just need two more and it will find you Q, then we'll be on our way"_

"Are you listening to me; you are not coming out here, stay there, stay safe"

"_We got a second satellite just one more"_ she heard him say, she was running out of time

"I love you so much Brittany, so, so much" she started

"_I know Quinn I love you too just hold on, we'll get to you soon"_ she could hear the eagerness and anxiousness Brittany was feeling

"No, just know I love you, and I'm so sorry Puck for everything, Tell Beth I love her"

She kicked the panel under the steering wheel off and reached down to find the now exposed wires that connected the techy dash board to its power source in the engine. It was so dark she wouldn't have been able to see them anyway.

"_Quinn what are you doing?"_ she heard her girlfriend ask worried, it just made her feel sick to her stomach but she _had_ to do this

Once her hand was wrapped round a mass of odd wires (wires that she didn't even know the purpose of) she said"I'm sorry" and with that she yanked the wires out, cutting all power to the car, and plunging herself into further darkness.

...

"What happened?" Finn asked worried, he held a fidgeting Beth in his arms. He wasn't even sure why he bothered asking; probably just false hope that what he thought had happened was just a misunderstanding.

He'd heard the yelling in the garage and knew it had to be bad news. He'd tried to get Beth there... for Quinn, in case. But he was too late and he knew it. And he didn't need to see Brittany crying or the look of utter devastation on Pucks face to tell him this, he just knew

...

The back doors to the Jeep were struck again, the same slapping noise the metal walls had made when Rachel hit it earlier that day, letting her know she could drive away. Of course she couldn't this time and it wasn't Rachel making that noise. She turned in her seat, and moved across, placing one knee on each seat. She raised her shot gun and pointed it to the back doors. Just because she knew there was no way out of this didn't mean she wasn't going down without a fight.

She thought of Brittany, she hoped Puck would be there to look after her always, then she thought of Puck, she was sorry for all the pain she'd caused him, and then lastly Beth. Would she even remember her, doubtful they'd only spent a few weeks together... she hoped Brittany could be the mother she wouldn't get to be... she hoped all the best she could for all the others.

"Come on then you mother fuckers" she muttered as she looked down the barrel through the sight of the gun

The Jeep jerked as something hit it, heavily. But she didn't falter, she only blinked. She heard scraping against the windows all around her but didn't look, not wanting fatal fear to strike yet. The doors were ripped open at the back, and Quinn suddenly found herself frozen...

**So Sorry again that this took so long, let me know what you think...**

**I honestly think you're gonna hate some of what I've got planned next but its been planned since the beginning so... :/**

**Sorry I've gone through and fixed some of the stuff in the middle with Rachel and Santana, i wrote that late and when i re read it the next morning i realised just how much of a mess it turned out. still not brilliant, but a bit too late now :/ sorry**


	20. Save the Hero

**So sorry for the wait, it was supposed to be up last weekend at the latest.**

**Wow, seriously wow, 40 reviews! Are you serious, you guys are truly amazing (even if it was just to beg for Quinn's life) still thank you so much to: Musicfutbolfan6, A C one, xphrnzrjh, Shadow Cub(thanks for pointing out that funny error), anonni, pinkypromisNSN, Pissedandon, nickd93, hope2smith, SoFlaComet, sdmwd1115, Guest, Valerii. FaberryFan, mon85babe, agd30, CJ13, Amazed(and thanks for reviewing two previous chapters), GleekFoLife, Guest, Angel Stones, AnjyBoBanjy, jhickson001, Rediclufied. Espi, General Mac, xtreme, vdwade23, Gardenia, amazinglife18, TrustInFaith, J4M3Z XO, SweeTarts151, piecesofyourheart, twistarwanabe, Blue-Portrait, Guest, VickiiMadd, TheChosenSlayer5by5, Alese222, aquarius127 and Guest**

**The song used in this chapter, and the chapters titled after is;_Save the hero_, by Beyoncé. It was recommended by_VickiiMadd_. She'd been listening to the song while reading and said it was fitting. Not that I'm trying to up my fic (lol) but I agree, it's very fitting. Give it a listen.**

**So yeah, this chapters also dedicated to VickiiMadd for their suggestions and help :)**

**Posted: 8/8/12 (hey look, a date we can agree on)**

* * *

><p><span>Save the Hero<span>

"We should stop" Santana told Rachel softly in the car as it travelled down the dark residential road "You told them to wait three days, we should rest tonight, continue to find them in the morning"

"Yeah" as if on cue Rachel involuntarily yawned. If Rachel was honest she didn't even know where the base was exactly, it should be easier to find in morning when it was light again "How about this house?" she slowed down and stopped in front of a seemingly normal two story house, that looked just like all the others they'd seen

"Yeah it should be okay" there wasn't a car waiting in the drive meaning it was less likely that there were any turned people in there, waiting for them, and as it looked like it hadn't been broken into none had wandered in their either. Rachel pulled the car up onto the drive and cut the ignition plunging them into darkness

"Sorry" she said quietly as Santana fumbled to find the flashlight she'd left in the back of the car with CJ.

As Santana's hand found the torch she felt something warm and slimy cover her hand "Eww" she groaned as she realised she was being attacked by the dog again

"What?" Rachel asked lightly

"Your damn dog licked me, again" she said in disgust as she pulled her hand away from CJ and wiped it on Rachel's shoulder

"Oh thanks" Rachel noted sarcastically. She then looked to the dark house "Have you got any ammo?"

Santana paused before reluctantly answering "No"

Rachel nodded with a sigh as she looked back to the Latina "Guess we'll just have to be careful then"

...

Sam was the last one to be woken by the sobbing and yelling by the front door of the house/bunker. He crept in quietly just to observe, but when he saw the scene in front of him, he didn't understand... or rather his mind wouldn't let him understand because it was going to be devastating news. All he saw was Brittany curled up on the sofa. Puck sitting next to her looking lost. Finn stood by them still holding Beth, he looked even more hopeless than normal. Tina, Mike, Kurt and Blaine stood near Artie watching, waiting for the confirmation they didn't want.

He crouched down next to Artie and asked quietly "What's going on?"

The boy with glasses peeled his eyes of the scene to look to Sam knelt next to him "I think we've lost them" he muttered shakily

The blonde nodded before standing up straight again "What happened?" Sam asked, not liking being in the dark at a time like this

"We lost Quinn" Puck had hate and sadness in his words, although it was unclear who the hate was for; for himself for not doing more to save Quinn, or stopping her going in the first place; for not going in her place; for Quinn herself to put him in this situation.

"And the others?"

No one answered, because no one needed to.

"Rachel shouldn't have gone back for Santana" Finn's voice was soft yet shaky, with the same hurt everyone else felt, the loss of a friend or someone they loved.

"No Finn... you shouldn't have left her Behind"

The room froze at Tina's words, Finn seemed to glare at her while Mike stood strongly by his girlfriend's side, slipping his hand into hers and squeezing gently. Brittany's sniffles subsided and she slowly sat up looking at Finn as she pushed back her messed up hair

"He what?" Kurt asked

"He left Santana behind" Mike said, reinforcing his girlfriends words

"You... left... her... behind?" Brittany asked slowly, each word getting higher pitched as she said it.

"No, no, I didn't mean to" he tried to excuse

"Santana risked her life by partnering up with you" Mike added, knowing it wasn't right to pin blame but it wasn't fair for Puck and Brittany to hold onto all the guilt. They'd never seen Brittany like this, she was normally a quiet sulker, not a heavy sobber. And Seeing Puck so distraught was worrying, he normally took life so easily and bottled everything up, but with their world changing he was definitely changing with it "You shouldn't have let her get left behind"

"She yelled 'keep going'!" the squeakiness in his voice betrayed the power in its volume

"And Rachel told Quinn not to return but did she listen" Tina argued

"And now she's dead!" Brittany yelled "She wouldn't be dead if you hadn't left Santana behind" as she stood up Finn seemed to wither away, as if trying to disappear into thin air. This was the sort of angry persona you would see on Santana, not usually sweet and innocent Brittany

"Finn how could you" Kurt whimpered as he let Blaine hold him.

"If Finn hadn't let Santana get left behind then Rachel wouldn't have gone back and Quinn would still be here. They're all gonna be dead Finn and it's your fault!" Brittany just kept yelling

"You... you!" Puck's lost expression morphed to anger so quickly it would scare anyone. He turned to the taller boy who backed up until his back hit the wall. Puck went to raise his fist when he felt a hand wrap around his knuckles. He turned his head sharply to look over his shoulder and his eyes were met with those heartbreaking watery red ones.

"Don't Puck" The blonde said suddenly softly. Seeing Pucks reaction had quickly calmed her, she needed to do something. She let go of his hand and slowly walked around him to Finn. She gently took a fidgety whiny Beth from Finn's arms before turning away. How Puck didn't even see vulnerable Beth there worried him but Finn had just made him so mad. Brittany stopped next to Puck with her back to Finn and said so lowly "Okay, go ahead"

Before Finn could even figure what Brittany had whispered to the boy with the Mohawk, a fist struck him square in the face, making his head knock back against the wall behind him, in his stunned state Puck struck him again, this time to the jaw, sending his head to the side. Blood actually sprayed from his mouth dramatically. Before Puck could place a third blow he was yanked away, and before he could lunge forward again the boy with the blonde hair stood between them.

"Stop" he said strongly "Even if Finn did fuck up we can't turn on each other"

Sam felt Puck push, as he went to lunge again but he managed to hold him back with his hand fisted into the front of Pucks hoody.

"No" Sam said again. Puck stepped back, shaking Sam's hand off of him as anger still burned in his eyes "Finn, just get out of here" he said shoving the boy towards the back rooms.

Once he was out of the room Puck dropped himself onto the sofa next to Brittany and Beth, they huddled together; now as their little broken family. Everyone else started filtering out of the room in their pairs. Sam helped Artie back to his room, noting the bunker wasn't exactly wheel chair friendly.

...

Quinn couldn't believe who she was staring at; she'd recognise that person anywhere even if she could only see their silhouette. The person stood in the bed of a pickup truck that had been backed up against the Jeep. The headlights from the truck, pointing in the opposite direction, illuminated the surrounding area.

"So you just gonna stare at me, Lucy Caboosey, or are you gonna get you skinny ass out that death trap" her rescuer swung her bat casually at a walking dead, that was trying to reach them, knocking it down heavily. They then lazily swung the bat up so it was resting on their shoulder while they held it.

Quinn smiled with great relief and even at the usually hated nickname before climbing over the back of the seat and making her escape.

...

"Hey, you got a fire going?" Santana noted as she dropped a pile of clothes and blankets onto the Sofa. Rachel was sat with her knees hugged to her in front to the glowing fireplace. Santana turned her flashlight off and dropped it onto the sofa next to the clothes

"Yeah, I found some matches in the kitchen, in the cupboard next to where we found the other flash light" she looked back at the fire "thought it might be nice to make the most of a wood burning fireplace and seeing as the power is out it provides us with warmth and light"

"It's nice" Santana said softly from where she stood still at the far end of the sofa that was perpendicular to the fireplace. She just watched Rachel stare at the hypnotic flames and smiled fondly at the smaller girls silhouette.

CJ was snoring softly from a second sofa that was opposite the one Santana stood by. The dog was lazily stretched out across the one sofa leaving no room for anyone else. Santana just shook her head and smiled at the dog who'd been their saviour earlier and was obviously taking her reward now

"You gonna sit over here"

"No it's warmer here by the fire. Besides I need to get changed, my clothes are still damp from the sprinklers"

"Yeah, um I got you some clothes, there some jeans or sweat pants, a couple of t-shirts, some hoodies. I need to get changed too, do you want to change here, I'll go to another room" she offered

Rachel chuckled at Santana's sudden and uncharacteristic shyness "We've changed in the same room before"

"Yeah but that was before..."

"Before what?" Rachel quirked an eyebrow "Before I was your girl?" she stood up and wandered towards Santana, the taller girl could see the smirk that was lacing 'her girls' lips. Rachel closed in her eyes glancing at Santana's lips, while she still wore her smirk. Just before her lips connected with the waiting Latina's she turned her head and attention to the clothes.

Santana just smiled to herself before searching through the pile too for items for her to wear. Rachel tuned her pack to Santana as she peeled off the still damp jeans. Santana may have watched her, feeling like a total perv only part of the time

"Oh I also found a bat in one of the rooms, you know as a weapon" She announced suddenly like it would take her mind off the undressing brunette in front of her , and the break in silence would convince Rachel she wasn't being watched... if she was even thinking that in the first place

"Oh Good" Rachel said as she nearly feel over, her jeans getting tangled round one of her ankles.

Santana realised this was the point where she needed to turn around and start changing herself, before Rachel saw her. She started by peeling her t-shirt off

"Ah, Santana" Rachel's voice sounded muffled

The Latina peeked over her shoulder to see what was up, she couldn't help but smile at the vulnerable situation Rachel was in with her t-shirt stuck round her head. She also couldn't help but admire Rachel's body yet again

"Stop checking me out and help" Rachel commanded in her usual tone.

Santana just rolled her eyes and chuckled again, before helping Rachel by carefully untangling the t-shirt from across her face

"Thank you" Rachel said gently her head bowed for a second once her head was free of the shirt. her eyes may have lingered on the Latina's bra clad chest for a second too long

"Were you just checking me out?" The raven haired girl asked with one of her signature smirks

"Maybe" Rachel bit her lip "Just getting even" she said as she casually took that last step between them. She stretched onto her tip toes, Santana only held on a moment teasing Rachel (her own little revenge for only moments ago) before meeting her halfway.

...

Santana had placed one of the thick blankets she'd found upstairs on the floor in front of the fire for them to relax on. She lay propped up on one elbow behind Rachel who lay on her side, facing the fire as they took in its warmth, the flames igniting their bare skin as they just relaxed in only their underwear.

"You, know I've had a song stuck in my head for a couple of days now, it's kinda perfect" Santana said softly as the pair just watched the hypnotic dancing of the flames, as Santana's fingertips trailed, feather light, along Rachel's bare arm "If there was still glee club it could have been great"

"Really?" Rachel asked as she shuffled round onto her back to look up at the girl she loved

"Yeah, we could have sung it as a duet" Santana chuckled mostly to herself, at the fact she was thinking about singing, and song selections despite what was happening around them. She missed it, not just because being in Glee club represented simpler times but like she told them all before 'It was the best part of her day'. Even with the world falling down around them, she almost wished they still had glee club to get rid of all the stress and worry at the end of the day.

Rachel was watching Santana intently, she wondered what was going on in the other girls head as she lay propped up next to her like that "Sing it to me?" she asked softly, bringing Santana back to the present

Santana's smile brightened "But I meant for us to sing it together, so you'll have to sing it with me" she told Rachel as she dropped a quick kiss to her lips

"What if I don't know it" Rachel excused, still smiling up at the Latina

"You might know it"

"What if I want to hear just you sing?" she argued, still keeping her tone soft and playful

Santana pulled away slightly and fake gasped "Did Rachel Berry just give up the opportunity to sing?"

Rachel smiled up at the Latina, knowing she was teasing "Yeah, but only for you" she chuckled lightly

"Okay, if you're sure" she asked with a teasing smirk

"I like your voice" Rachel admitted "You're very talented" She gently pulled Santana's head down for another kiss, a long slow kiss "and not just at singing"

"Just wait, I'll show you what other talents I have" she smirked, but in truth she wasn't ready for that with Rachel. Just because it was the end of the world didn't mean she had to rush anything. She wanted everything with Rachel to be special. And even if it wouldn't be Rachel's first time (which she hated to remind herself of) it had to be special, for both of them. She didn't want to ruin anything for them.

"Sing" Rachel whispered again, breaking the over thinking Latina's from her thoughts once again

"Okay. So you'd sing the first bit" she told the short brunette before she started to sing softly

_"I lay alone awake at night__  
><em>_Sorrow fills my eyes__  
><em>_But I'm not strong enough to cry__  
><em>_Despite of my disguise"_

She didn't sing with the power or volume like she was probably supposed to. She wasn't on a stage there was no need to belt out the words, even though she easily could have. She was just singing to the girl she loved, softly, stopping after every couple of lines to press soft kisses to Rachel's waiting lips.

_"I'm left with no shoulder__  
><em>_But everyone wants to lean on me__  
><em>_I guess I'm their soldier__  
><em>_Well, who's gonna be mine?"_

Santana paused longer this time to drop a longer kiss on the inviting lips only millimetres away from hers "Then I'd take this bit" she said just as soft as her kisses as her eyes reconnected with the chocolate orbs

_"Who's there to save the hero__  
><em>_When she's left all alone?__  
><em>_And she's crying out for help"_

"Hey" Rachel squeaked and tried to glare "I don't cry out for help" she protested playfully

"No" Santana agreed "But maybe you should, so I know when you need me most" she said sincerely, a worried frown washing away her smile.

"I'll always need you" Rachel whispered honestly

"I'll always need you too" and the smile was back slightly. She didn't want to let go of Rachel ever, she didn't want this moment to end, either, but eventually they would have to leave their little sanctuary.

"Please keep singing" Rachel asked letting her eyes drift shut from tiredness

Santana nodded before continuing

_"Who's there to save the hero?__  
><em>_Who's there to save the girl__  
><em>_After she saves the world?__  
><em>_After she saves the world"_

She had to stop because she couldn't sing any more without asking her one member audience something important "Rachel?"

"Yeah?" her eyes were still closed

"Be my girlfriend?" Santana breathed shakily, nervous for some reason even though she'd been right to assume Rachel was her girl only hours earlier

Her eyes opened, suddenly not so tired "I thought I already was" she smirked, as her hands slipped back round the Latina's neck and pulling her down to reconnect their lips yet again that day for a far more passionate and fiery kiss. They let themselves get lost in one another, the crackling of the fire and the snoring of a dog the background track to their intense make out session

...

"What the heck are you doing out here Lucy Q, you trying to get yourself killed?"

Quinn had her head resting against the cold glass window, she watched the shadows as the pick-up truck crept down the streets "No, I was heading somewhere to get Rachel and Santana... and Rachel's dog" she added as an afterthought

"Where were they?"

She sighed and raised her head to look at the driver "At some hospital" she shrugged "I suggested we stock up on medical supplies, things turned to shit and we had to get out of there, Santana got left behind and Rachel went back in to save her"

"And you thought it'd be a good idea to risk your own life like Berry did?"

"It was my fault that they were even there" Quinn shrugged. Although she was thankful to be alive she still hated herself for not getting back to Santana and Rachel... and CJ, she knew she had to be too late now. She let her head fall back against the window pane

"You can't just blame yourself Q"

"That's what everyone says lately. That we've got to stop blaming ourselves... but what about when it is our fault"

"Well I was at the hospital not far from here an hour ago; there weren't any of your army jeeps or any people or anything" She told Quinn "It was a ghost town"

"Must have been after I left with Finn, Tina and Mike" she sighed "The place was crawling inside" she clenched her eyes closed trying to rid her mind of her friends being ripped to shreds. "How the hell are you even here Zises?" She asked changing the tone from regretful guilt to surprised confusion.

"What, thought I'd be dead?" She chuckled "No, not yet"

"What did happen?" She looked at her driver "How are you even here nearly half way across the country?"

"Well..." she sighed "That afternoon it hit Lima, I had a wrestling meet. When I got out, I went to the changing room and I was by myself, because I'm the only girl. When I was leaving I heard screaming, it was coming from the boy's locker room, one of the guys from my team... he ran out, screaming and covered in blood. He held his throat, where the blood seemed to be coming from as he kept running past me. I saw him collapse further up the hallway" Quinn couldn't imagine what Zises must have gone through. To have been able to get this far all by herself was some extraordinary feat. "Then our coach walked out, his eyes were misty his skin paler than usual, blood on his hands and round his mouth. You'd have be stupid like Pierce to not-"

"Hey!" Quinn yelled in defence

"What?" the bigger girl asked glancing briefly at her passenger before focusing back on the road in front of them

"Don't talk about my girlfriend like that" Quinn eyes then widened as she realised how easily that had been to say.

Zises did a double take, another glance at her passenger then the road "She's your what?" she said unbelievingly "Wow I didn't see that Fabray"

"Well, apparently nobody did, but yeah we're together" she said quietly "... oh god she must think I'm dead" Quinn said suddenly with panic "What if she doesn't forgive me?" she looked to Zises as if she held the answer

"What?" the bigger girl scoffed "Not forgive you for not being dead?" she asked rhetorically "She'll just be happy you're alive"

"I guess..." Quinn mumbled "she won't be happy but I think she'll be relieved... but you were saying?" she asked for the girl with glasses to continue

"Oh yeah, well after I saw Coach like that, you'd have to be stupid like _Hudson_..." she peered at her passenger checking to see if that was okay

"Better" Quinn nodded for her to continue

"You'd have to be stupid like Hudson to not think something was wrong. I shoved him to the floor then turned and left. As I passed the store room for all the sports equipment, I saw it had been broken into. So I grabbed a bat" she patted the faithful bat that sat propped up in the foot well with the handle next to the gear stick

"That must have been Rachel" Quinn thought out loud "After Pillsbury came in screaming she left the room, came back with a baseball bat" the blonde explained "How did you get here?"

"Well after the showdown at the school I went out to the parking lot found Pucks truck, remembered he never locks it and leaves the keys in the sun visor" she patted the steering wheel of the pick-up emphasising that it was still the same truck "after that, I went home, it was empty, everywhere was. I just stayed there hoping for the best. Couple of days later there was some big ass explosion-"

"Rachel's house" Quinn assumed

"- and time later, I saw two trucks, been following ever since. Lost you a couple of times but looks like I finally caught up, just in time too"

"Yeah... thanks for saving me"

"Any time" she said like it was no big deal "So any clue where we're going?" Zises asked realising she was just driving with next to no direction

Quinn peered out ahead of tem straining her eyes to try and figure out where they were and if she'd driven through here earlier "Maybe with some daylight I can remember but I'm just lost"

"Okay, I'm pulling over" Zises slowed down the car looking at the houses on either side

"Where exactly?"

"Not sure, this looks okay" Lauren said as she pulled up onto the driveway of a seemingly quiet house "Hang on, I've seen that car before" she said as she stopped next to the other car on the driveway

Quinn looked at the car, trying to study it in the dark "... It's a rust bucket, there's tonnes of them around here"

"No... that one, I think I saw it at the... Hospital" she looked quickly at Quinn when a thought of realisation hit her

"Do you think they might have made it and be inside?" She asked hopeful

"Well there's only one way to find out" Zises turned the ignition off but left the key clicked one turn so the headlights remained on "You got any ammo for that?" She pointed to the shot gun that Quinn had resting on her lap, the barrel pointing towards her door

"Some" she answered simply. She leaned forward peering up at the house "If you can give me a leg up so I can get onto the roof I can break in through one of those windows"

"So I'm taking orders from you now?" There was a slight seriousness to her voice

"I'm just thinking, breaking in up there means those things can't follow us in" approaching her reasoning that way, not just going for the 'well I can't exactly give you a left up' root. She saw Zises take down Santana, she didn't want to be on the receiving end of that

"Fair enough, come on then" she didn't even look as she got out the car and started surveying the porch and where was best to lift Quinn to.

Quinn had to laugh lightly to herself, was Zises beyond the fear that Quinn was still living in. Did the larger girl feel she had nothing to lose, because she'd been out here fending for herself and only herself?

"Come on Q" Lauren impatiently tapped the bonnet of the truck with her bat. Woken from her thoughts the blonde did as she was told. And in one attempt Zises basically threw her up onto the porch. Her shot gun was passed up after her. At least she was used being thrown from her years on the Cheerios

She tried each of the three windows she could reach from the porch roof but all were locked. She chose the third one she checked to break into, for no other reason other than it was right in front of her when she decided she'd have to smash a window.

Using the butt of the shotgun she smashed one of the panes in lattice window so she could carefully reach through and find the latch on the other side. Once she found it and flicked it open she retracted her hand and pulled the window up. She peered inside and realised she couldn't make out anything. It was far too dark

"Zises, you got a light, it's too dark"

Lauren huffed as she went back to the truck, rooted around in the glove compartment and found a flash light. She threw it violently at Quinn, who managed to catch it last minute before it hit her in the head.

"Now hurry up" Zises said in a harsh whisper

Quinn just nodded, there was no time to mock or tease, or reason to, because Quinn was just as scared and couldn't wait to be reunited with Lauren for her own safety.

Now her only companion was the flashlight she'd just had thrown at her. She slipped one leg over the windowsill and switched the flashlight on as she ducked her head under the window. Surveying the room she saw it was all clear. "One room down" she whispered to herself before pulling the rest of herself through the window.

She looked around the room briefly. It looked like a young boys room with the blue walls and the race car shaped bed, then again it could have been a girls room but normally at a young age you were told what you liked.

When she got to the door she took a deep breath. Readied her gun and pulled the handle down gently, hating the slight squeaky noise it made as she did so. She poked her head out the door and looked each way, left first then right. As she did she had the moment from 'Alien' in her head, when Dallas is in the air shafts and in his panic the Alien is waiting for him. Only this time to would be Fabray and a zombie.

Luckily it was clear. There was a warm glow coming from the end of the hallway to her right, that had to be a good sign right, that's probably why Quinn was moving without thinking. She was stepping lightly and quickly as she padded down the stairs.

She saw CJ snoozing on the sofa first and her face light up. She continued forward without thinking "Oh my god, I'm so glad you're alive- Oh wow"

The two girls lost in their lip lock, Santana still topping Rachel, broke apart shocked that they'd even heard another voice. The two dark haired girls just looked at the blonde, wide eyed, finding it hard to believe she was here, in all the houses in all of... where ever they were.

CJ woke up and padded over to Quinn happy to greet the friendly face but Quinn was kinda distracted.

"Oh Um" Quinn fumbled glancing toward the ceiling and hoping in the dull, flickering light her blush wasn't noticeable "Wow Berry didn't know you were so, um, fit under those sweaters" She couldn't help but make some comment to make Rachel uncomfortable so she didn't feel the most uncomfortable in the room

"Why don't you take a picture Q?" Santana said casually as she lay on her side propped up next to her girlfriend.

"Santana!" Rachel squeaked as she scrambled to find the clothes she never did get a chance to put on. Santana seemed more comfortable in her current state, probably thanks to her confidence and years of changing in the Cheerios locker room with a load of other girls. Her confidence was also evident as she was slower to find some fresh clothes to put on

"What the hell are you doing here Q?" Santana asked as she slid on a pair of dark blue jeans

"I told Rachel I'd be back for you both" She said as she continued to look anywhere but directly at the two half dressed girls

"And I told you not to" the short brunette scolded as she tugged a t-shirt over her head "it's too dangerous out here"

"Well I know that now. Oh and um, yeah; got some bad news about your truck" She seemed to cringe in preparation for a usually explosive Rachel Berry reaction... better known as a lecture.

"What happened to my truck?" She crossed her arms over her now completely covered chest

"Well I drove through god knows what, broken glass I guess, then hit the curb a few times, so all that got me two flat tires" Quinn tried to explain, knowing no excuse would be good enough for the little diva

"Those were industrial tires; the army use them in the desert, so how the hell did you burst them?" She was wide eyed, unbelieving that this had happened to her truck.

"Like I said I don't know what I was driving through, I also smashed in one of the head lamps" she cringed again apologetically

"Well maybe if we go back with the other Jeep we can replace both the tires, maybe I can fix the head light later" Rachel thought out loud, it wasn't the end of the world... well not for her jeep. That was until Quinn broke the next bit of news to her.

"Well maybe but I have no idea where it is now and I also wrecked the wiring inside" more cringing from the blonde

"Why would you do that?" Rachel squealed almost sounding tearful, like how a child would react if someone tore the head off their favourite stuffed animal

"I panicked, Puck and Brittany were trying to locate the car and were going to come after me, it was getting dense and I wouldn't let them endanger themselves for me. So I wrecked the wiring cutting of the electrics in the hope that they wouldn't be able to locate me anymore" what started as a quick ramble to get her excuse out quickly ended with her bowing her head in shame, not at what she'd done to Rachel's truck but for the pain she had to be causing Brittany.

"Oh, I'm sorry Quinn" Rachel said sympathetically, realising how hard that goodbye must have been "That must have been awful"

"It doesn't matter really now, what does is that we're all alive; even though they probably think we're dead" she dismissed it for now.

"Wait how the hell did you get here, if you don't even know where the truck is anymore?" Santana asked, after the back and forth between her girlfriend and best friend

"Oh" Quinn's eyes widened realised she was forgetting something. Finding Santana and Rachel in the way she did kinda distracted her for a moment "I had help, a saviour if you would" She walked straight over to the front door she started rooting through a draw in a small table by the front door and what do you know, there just happened to be a spare key in there that looked like it would fit the front door lock.

Seconds later Quinn had the door unlocked and open, letting the waiting girl on the other side, shuffle in.

"'Bout time Luce, it's damn creepy out there" Zises said as Quinn locked the front door again.

"No Fucking way" Santana and even Rachel swore in unison at who stood before them

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry guys with the message I left you at the end of the last chapter, I think I made some of you worry even more, I was secretly referring to bringing Zises into it, that was always planned but I wasn't sure if any of you would hate the idea : tell me what you think?**

**But, anyway, like I could kill Quinn off, even if she's not one of the main, main characters in this fic, she's still my favourite. Besides she's too vital to the story.**

**So sorry for the wait and potential crap twist in the plot, but let me know what you think please.**


	21. Reunited

**Holy crap on toast, has it really been that long, I didn't realise; sorry every one. But I'm free of my work experience shackles, permanently, as of some hours ago, so let's celebrate.**

**Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter:Musicfutbolfan6,TrustInFaith,VickiiMadd,A C one,emmacancook,Ilianalovee,Rediclufied. Espi,Blue-Portrait,SoFlaComet,NotThatGrrl, w1cked,nickd93,Pezberrylover0612,ShadowCub,llGeekGoddessll,agirl002, JayMonsta, Pezberry Rocks, Alese222, anonni, BroadwayTheaterGleek, xphrnzrjh, Guest, Gardenia2, xtreme, amazinglife18, Amazes, J4M3Z XO, MelissaK4, Guest, Willoa-.-Tara, CJ13, General Mac, cressey (Congratulations, by the way), GleekFoLife, Miles, TheChosenSlayer5By5, ConfessedGleek16 and LynDraven**

**Posted: 25/8/12**

Reunited

"Rach, give up. That heap ain't gonna start" Santana whined as Rachel tried to start the technically stolen car they'd used to escape from the hospital. She hugged her arms round her, trying to stay warm in the cold morning air as she looked around them. The surrounding area was blanketed in a thick fog, making it impossible to see what was out there but Santana had the feeling they were surrounded "besides it's creepy out here, can we just go now?"

"Fine" Rachel grumbled as she climbed out of the car. She turned around and ducked back inside the car though collecting her guns from where she'd temporarily left them on the front passenger seat. Even without ammo there was no leaving them behind, they were like family

"You two riding with us then?" Zises asked from the back of truck parked next to the car. She threw a couple of blankets in the back with the rest of her other findings on her trip so far

"I guess so"

"I've already got dibs on the front seat" Quinn yelled as she climbed in. She'd had the worst night sleep, Zises had taken the other sofa and Santana and Rachel had cuddled up in front of the fire place together and Quinn had just picked a place on the floor. She chose to lie against the sofa, that CJ was occupying, as she didn't feel so out in the open there. It had taken her, what felt like, hours to get to sleep.

Thoughts of Brittany, hurt and vulnerable flooded her mind, then thoughts of Beth and how Puck was handling them both, as well as himself. Other thoughts like: 'if her end had come' came to mind, and how all she really wanted if that time came again, was for a longer amount of time to say a real goodbye. It was the least she could hope for.

Her morning wasn't much better, she had woken with a wet shoulder and neck, it took her a second with a roaming hand over her neck and hair before she looked up to realise she'd been heavily drooled on by CJ. To make matters worse they didn't know if the water was safe here, she couldn't clean off until she got back to the bunker. At least she was able to swap her grey zip up hoody for a dull green over the head one she'd found in one of the bedrooms in the house.

That was something they were collectively looking forward to; when they got to the bunker they could have a shower, brush their teeth, put on fresh clothes, and sleep securely

"I guess we'll sit in the bed then" Rachel said in agreement

"I'd sit on those blankets if I were you" Lauren said, like she knew what she was talking about as she opened the tail gate for the two girls and dog to climb in. They wondered briefly what Lauren's experience in the back of that truck was. They quickly washed their minds of the idea of her and Puck getting hot and, um, heavy and thought of something else. Perhaps the girl had spent a night sleeping alone in the back of the truck; out in the open with those things walking around.

Santana held out both her hands fingers locked together for Rachel to use as a step, the shorter brunette used her girlfriends hands like a step while giggling and saying "Why Santana, how chivalrous"

The Latina smiled while the blonde in the cabin of the truck who'd been watching them turned back around in her seat and rolled her eyes, Zises did the same at the scene. Santana then wiped her hands on her jeans before she passed their guns and the bat she'd found in the house to a waiting Rachel

"Come on CJ" Santana said to the dog as she patted the open tail gate encouraging the dog to get in. The shepherd happily jumped up and followed her master to the other end of the truck bed, over the odds and ends Zises had gathered as supplies. Santana then climbed up and joined Rachel who had made a thin seat with the blankets Zises had told her to use, and was leaning with her back against the cabin

"Okay" Zises said as she slammed the tail gate shut again "let's get this shit on the road" She walked round to get into the driver's side, opened the door and placed her trust baseball bat in first "Luce, you remember where we're going?"

The two brunettes in the back had quickly realised after they were reunited with Quinn, and more surprisingly; Zises last night, that the bigger girl seemed to be the only person in the history of the universe who got away with calling Quinn by her real name

"If we go back the way we came and find the jeep, and if some of the fog lifts, I think I can find the way from there" she hoped that was a good enough honest answer for now

"You think you'll remember even though it was dark last night" Santana asked through the open sliding panel in the back of the cabin to the bed of the truck

"Well I used the same route coming back to the hospital as I did going from the hospital to the bunker, so I think I'll remember" she answered honestly again. She could take pressure normally, I mean hell she was a Sue Sylvester head Cheerleader, so yeah she could usually take pressure... but it was different when getting eaten by a cannibal infected human was the price of a mistake out here. "I'll probably be able to remember by the all the crap laying about in the roads that I had to swerve around"

"Okay, that's good enough, let's just get out of here before the Z's get us" Rachel shivered at the though and the cold, making Santana instinctual wrap an arm round her shoulder. The shorter girl smiled up at her girlfriend before happily cuddling into her side. As the truck rumbled to life, CJ finally stopped wandering round the truck bed and settled... right on both the girls laps.

As they drove along Rachel started thinking. Quinn finding them in the compromising position they were in wasn't the worst thing that could have happened and they trusted Quinn, so if anyone was going to walk in on them like that Quinn was probably the better choice. They had explained to Zises that they were together; she had been as surprised as she was when she found out about Quinn and Brittany. But she was quiet after that; it was probably too much to take in within an hour after not having any human contact for a couple of weeks.

"San?" Rachel asked softly, she then blushed at the use of the shortened name.

Santana smiled as her girlfriend ducked her head shyly "Yeah Rae?" she pushed against Rachel with her side, shoving her playfully.

"I was wondering..." she bit her lip with worry

"What were you wondering?" Santana asked softly, encouraging Rachel

"Well" she tucked a loose strand of messy hair behind her ear "I was wondering if we could keep... _us_ quiet"

"You don't want anyone to know?" The Latina asked, making sure she understood properly. She kept her eyes on Rachel's but Rachel couldn't look directly at her.

"Well it's not that, I just don't want to deal with questions and... attention"

Santana had to laugh, she tried to keep it minimal though "You mean: Rachel Berry the attention seeker, doesn't want attention" she joked, hiding that she was a little bit hurt

"No I want attention" Rachel admitted quickly "But just from you"

"Well when you put it like that" Santana smirked "Okay, we'll keep it quiet" She kissed Rachel quickly while she was caught off guard in her shy persona. She then turned her head to between them; to the cabin part of the truck "Did you hear that?" she asked the other two girls

"Unfortunately, yeah we did" Quinn yelled back

"Thank you" Rachel said to her girlfriend "I would prefer if we didn't have to, but I think its better. I mean I don't want Kurt asking so many Questions, and I don't want to deal with whatever reaction Finn would have"

"Oh yeah" _'Just mention him why don't you'_ Santana thought to herself, while trying to cover her hurt "We wouldn't want to upset him or anything"

"Yeah" Rachel nodded gently and kept her voice low "I just don't think he'd deal with this very well, I don't want to hurt him"

Another stab to Santana's surprisingly vulnerable heart "Yeah" she agreed softly as she hugged her arm round Rachel tighter. It was a reminder that she had Rachel, not the oaf. "I get that, we'll keep it quiet" she didn't look at Rachel as she said it, she just looked to the end of the truck bed and beyond, at the abandoned cars and debris on the road disappearing into the mist.

"Hey there's my truck!" Rachel perked up as the passed the wrecked jeep. Zises slowed their truck to inspect the damage "Holy shit Quinn you killed my baby"

"Don't be so dramatic, it's just a car Berry?" The blonde yelled from the cabin, not impressed with where the short brunettes concern went

"But you didn't just smash the headlight you ripped her open"

Santana muttered something that sounded like 'wanky' but it was quickly dismissed by her heart broken girlfriend who was draw to the jeep as Zises started to pull away, accelerating away before something out of the mist

"Maybe I can fix her" she pushed CJ off her lap and seemed to desperately crawl across the truck bed in a trance, not letting her eyes leave the jeep

"No Rach" Santana slipped her arms round the smaller girls middle and pulled her back "She's gone baby" she said softly in her ear as the Beta car disappeared in the mist

"But she was mine" she sniffed as she whined. Santana just carefully pulled her back and they took their seats from before "Alpha was dad and daddy's, beta; she was mine"

"We'll come back one day. Rescue her, okay?" Santana told her, just to make her stop her crying.

"Really?" Rachel's shiny eyes looked up at her, full of hope.

"Really?" Quinn and Zises yelled from the cabin, unbelieving like she was crazy

"Yeah" Santana answered Rachel ignoring the other two

Quinn rolled her eyes at the mushy-ness of the girls discussion "Sorry 'bout your car Berry" she yelled hoping to break it up before she saw a replay of last night in the rear view mirror

"I guess I forgive you Quinn, but you better know where we're going now"

"Yeah, I remember where we're going now" Quinn said loud enough for them to all hear. Rachel wasn't sure if the life of her car was a fair price to pay. Santana was certain it was; Rachel safe was all that really mattered

...

Puck had lain awake most of the night starting at the ceiling, so when Beth started stirring he decided to get up. He didn't want Beth disturbing Brittany on the other side of their room after she'd finally worn herself out from crying.

He took Beth downstairs to the first level of the basement. They hadn't made the most of the space yet. They'd all took rooms on the 1st floor where the front door was, in case... just in case _they_ came home, they'd be there to meet them

But here it was 7:41 in the morning and they weren't home. The bunker disguised as a house was well equipped and Puck was able to find a high chair for Beth to sit in as he made her some breakfast; peanut butter on toast was a good one as Brittany had proved. But where was he going to find any bread... maybe he could make bread... how do you make bread? All thoughts that ran through his mind

Puck wanted to hold onto hope, maybe he still could for Rachel and Santana... but he hadn't been at the hospital, he didn't know exactly how bad it was there.

'_How would things work now?' _He wondered as he looked through the cupboards at the long life food. '_Fruit? Spaghetti O's for breakfast?'_ He glanced at Beth who seemed to stare at him, unsure of what was going on.

Puck thought about what would happen next. He was responsible, wasn't he? He was responsible with Beth, maybe he'd lead them. He believed he'd step up and do it, if he had to... which he might have to. Finn wasn't a leader, despite thinking he was, with football and glee. Sam, maybe he'd be useful but he lost Mercedes yesterday, could he handle being Puck's wingman.

They'd all have to 'man up', they couldn't dwell on things of they wanted to live, if they wanted to keep moving and living.

A happy squeal from Beth stopped Puck from staring at her. He let a smile break onto his lips at his daughter. He forgot about food for a moment and picked her up, hugging her close. She was his, and what was going to keep him going. He had to be strong, at least for Beth

He froze when he heard a noise from the floor above them; his heart was in his throat when he heard the grumble of an engine, the slamming of the garage door and then a silence "Please" he whispered. Hoping it would be all three of them "Please"

He rushed to the stairs; Beth started fidgeting as she was jostled around in her dad's arms. He took the stairs too at a time. As he got closer he heard voices, voices of the people who he already knew were safe. Yeah that was Kurt's voice, then he heard Tina, and Finn. They were so joyful, who were they talking to

Finally Puck stepped out into the room: he smiled brightly, stupidly brightly when he saw Quinn, Rachel, and Santana and... Who the hell is- Holy Shit!

Everyone was babbling, asking questions, no one saw him there watching. His eyes focused on one, and not the one he thought he'd be paying attention to the most. He thought if the three who he hoped had been standing there, were standing there, he'd be mostly relieved to see Quinn, because he kinda depended on her. But never in a million years would he have thought he would see _her_ again.

While most were in their own world at their happy union, the only person not there yet opened the door onto the scene.

Brittany stumbled out of the bedroom she'd been sleeping in that was opposite the garage. The noise of the door opening got everyone's attention as the last few missing from the scene poked their heads out of their room.

It seemed like people parted the way in front of Quinn, revealing her to Brittany. Blue eyes slowly rose and settled on the person who stood before her. There was a moment there, where it was as if she didn't register who was looking back at her with worry in their hazel eyes.

The taller blonde seemed to squint, then rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. She then stumbled tiredly across the space between them, stopping right in front of her unmoving girlfriend. She reached out and gently cradled the side of Quinn's face

With a slight gasp her eyes brightened "You're real" Brittany breathed, her expression still unbelieving

"I'm sorry I scared you"

Quinn flinched as Brittany bought her hand back quickly, thinking she was about to get slapped when instead the taller blondes arms wrapped round her neck and yanked her towards her girlfriend and her eager waiting lips. Brittany attacked Quinn with short kisses "I – thought – you – were – dead" she punctuated each word with another short yet fevering kisses

"I'm – Sorry" Quinn managed to say as she let her shotgun fall to the floor and swiftly wrapped her arms round the other girls middle "I – Love – you – so – much" She, again, managed to say while her lips were attacked.

"I Love – you too" Brittany replied without hesitation

They forgot about their audience as Quinn held Brittany close, and allowed for a longer kiss. Brittany started walking backwards, pulling Quinn with her. They stumbled and almost fell over countless times as Brittany tried to find the doorway to her room. She reluctantly let go of Quinn with one hand to use it to reach behind her. Once the door way was found Brittany released Quinn from their lip lock, much to both of their dismay, and spun them round so she could push Quinn down onto the bed nearest the door.

Everyone couldn't help but watch as Brittany kicked the door shut. There was a moment of quiet before the door opened again and Lord Tubbington was put on the floor and nudged with a foot away from it. Obviously Brittany still cared for the cat; anyone else probably would have thrown the cat put the door for some privacy.

A loud moan then a muffled giggle was heard from the other side of the door making Rachel speak up "Perhaps we should go downstairs, Santana and I can fill you in on what happened, that and I could really do with some coffee and food" she started towards the stairs but as she turned she noticed Puck was still watching Lauren and neither had yet said a word directly to one another "And if people would like to have a private catch up, there are more rooms upstairs" Puck caught her eyes and nodded lightly in understanding "Okay lets go" she started leading them to the stairs again, two doors over from the garage when:

"Um Rach, how should we get Artie down the stairs" Sam asked. Normally he and Puck or Finn would, but no one was talking to Finn and Puck wasn't going down the stairs

"Use the elevator" she said casually, like it was obvious. When she saw the confused expression he gave her she opened the door next to the one with the stair well "Here, we'll meet you down there. Hit [-1]" she told Artie before leaving again, with Santana, CJ and Finn right behind her like lost puppies

Sam went with Artie into the elevator

"Thanks for thinking of me Sam" Artie said quietly, as he nudged his glasses further up his nose then placed his hands back in his lap

"It's okay man... sorry I wasn't subtle" he said as the doors to the elevator closed

"Doesn't matter, I get that I don't make this easy... I'm surprised I haven't become Zombie bait already" he chuckled but it wasn't funny

"Don't say that bro" Sam sighed "We've all got to look out for each other right?"

"Yeah I get that, but the chair makes me more trouble for everyone else. And I worry that every ones gonna realise that" he muttered, trying to hide just how scared of that he really was

"I got your back man" Sam said as he patted Artie's shoulder. He'd already let his girlfriend down, he couldn't let his friend down too.

.

As Brittany's had started tugging Quinn's replacement hoody up towards her head the hazel eyes girl froze in the middle of a kiss with her girlfriend. She tore her lips away, almost just taking eager Brittany with her instead, "No Britt, stop" she gently took Brittany's roaming hands (that she hadn't completely minded a minute ago) and pushed her away carefully so she could sit up and put space between them

"What's wrong?" she furrowed her brow as she leant away, then swung her legs out from beneath her so she could sit down properly.

"I can't do _this_ yet" Quinn said timidly, she bit her bottom lip as Brittany took in the words, and hoped the taller girl would understand

"You don't want to have sex with me?" The blue eyed girl asked bluntly. Quinn ducked her head as she blushed; still somewhat shy around the subject.

"No" she saw Brittany's confused expression drop to a sadder one and she jumped in quick to try and rectify it "I mean I do, um but not yet" she explained

"Why, you've done it with Puck, and I've done it with..." her mind wandered, Quinn didn't want a list of names anyway

"I know, but it wasn't special, I want our first time to be special. Not now when I smell like dog drool and really need a shower"

"We could have sexy times in the shower" she suggested with a cute shrug

"I know we could" Quinn chuckled softly as she shuffled closer to Brittany "I just want to wait a little longer, so it can be special, so we don't have people waiting for us downstairs and we can take our time" she leant forward dropping a soft, sweet and much calmer kiss to her girlfriends lips "I want to be able to show you how much I love you, and cuddle with you afterwards"

"Cuddle?" Brittany's eyes lit up, she liked the sound of that

...

Puck nodded his head to the stairs leading up, as a signal for Zises to lead the way. She nodded subtly before taking the lead. She simply chose the first room near the top of the stairs. Puck followed her in; he leant against the door to close it. Once the door clicked shut there was an awkward silence. Zises sat down on one of the cots as Puck just stayed leaning against the door his head bowed

"... Good to see you're alive" he mumbled

"Good to see you alive too" she answered back a little more cheerily

After another pause he looked up at her "Why dya do it?" he sighed. It had been at the back of his mind since the day she said those last words to him

She matched his sigh and direction by looking back at him properly "Come on Puckerman, we don't do feelings and shit" They were somehow meant to be, she knew what he was asking about

"No Lauren, I really liked you, I thought I was in love; hell I probably was" he threw his arms up, not really sure why he was doing that but he couldn't help it, Just because he was a bad-ass dude didn't mean he didn't have emotions "But we start senior year and you're all 'it was fun but glee club' and 'my rep'. And that's it, you're gone. I never even saw you or anything"

"You think it was easy for me leaving you like that" the normally calm, cool, girl said with the same emotion as the boy with the Mohawk

"Oh please it didn't hurt you" he sneered

"Well you're wrong Puckerman, it did hurt, a lot" she spat back, her sudden vulnerability making his expression soften "No guy ever asked me out before..., it's not easy being... me. Then one day, because I found you in that porta-potty you were all over me"

"You didn't care about that though, you just kept pushing me away" he stressed out with confusion

"Yeah I did, you know why though. Cos I was waiting for you to turn around and laugh in my face with a slushy. One minute I'm just the freak, girl wrestler or that endangered white rhino in the AV club, and the next I've got the hottest guy in school at my feet"

"You thought I was the hottest guy in school"

"Easily" she smirked "with those guns, those eyes and that ridiculous Mohawk"

He just smirked back, smugly. Hell yeah he knew he was the hottest boy in school; it was just better hearing it from the girl he liked, who didn't give compliments, like ever.

"So how'd you get here?"

"Stole your truck" she shrugged casually

"You saved my baby too?" Wow, she really was some sort of saviour

**Let me know what you think, it's not great sorry**

**But maybe it's better than nothing (?)**


	22. Bigger Picture

**AN: Sorry it's been a while. And this is going to be a pretty boring chapter. I hope for it to be better, more action, suspense and stuff after this :/**

**Thanks for reviewing the previous chapter: General Mac, A C one, Ilianalovee, SoFlaComet, NotThatGrrl, Pezberrylover0612, Amazed, Musicfutbolfan6, cressey, Alese222, Blue-Portrait, xtreme, TrustInFaith, Gardenia2, sdmwd1115, jhickson001, charisma28, amazinglife18, FaberryBRA, C, agirl002, Guest, agirl002 **(...again :S)**, TheChosenSlayer5by5 and pyxap**

**Sorry this is kinda boring, all chatting, the boring kind :/**

**Posted: 11/9/12**

Bigger Picture

After explaining to the group what had happened after Quinn, Mike, Tina and Finn had left the hospital and filling in what Rachel and Santana knew so far on what happened with Zises and how she'd found them, Rachel and Santana were able to escape to the shower's on the same basement floor as the kitchen and other general living space.

Rachel seemed to be able to find her way round easily. She knew there were two shower/changing rooms on this floor; one for men one for women. But it took her some time as she was washing away the past hectic 24 hours from her skin in her own shower cubical, to remember she had visited this safe house years ago. She could have only been 5 or 6 but her dads had told her it was a vacation... the first one she had with no sun, and next to no fun. The only good part was spending time with her dads and she actually made friends with the few other kids who were 'on vacation' at the house.

The short brunette let her mind wander over the past 24 hours, what she'd lost: Mercedes, and what she'd gained; Santana. She couldn't help but smile, despite losing another of the group. It felt like it had happened so much longer ago, not just yesterday morning.

But when that dread and worry and guilt bubbled in her stomach, she'd just think of Santana and the kisses they'd shared, the words they'd told one another, what they had fought through to make sure they were alive long enough to have a chance at a life together. 24 hours ago she didn't think it was possible that Santana would ever feel anything back. A few weeks ago she didn't think Santana would ever be able to tolerate her. She'd been wrong.

So maybe when she thought of how the likeliness of them living to die of old age was impossible she just reminded herself that she had thought these other things impossible, happy things with Santana and yet they had come true. So they could make it, they could rebuild; they could survive, couldn't they?

Maybe they really could go back and rescue her car too, you never know. Then Rachel thought of the way Santana had stopped her diving from Puck's truck to her helpless car baby, how she'd softly said comforting things in her ear... what she'd called her

"San?" she called out knowing Santana was in the next cubicle

"Yeah" she heard her girlfriend call back through the sound of running water hitting bodies and tiled floors and walls

"You called me baby when we were in the truck"

Santana paused as she rinsed her hair under the stream of hot water. An everyday comfort she had got used to before the end of the world that she didn't take for granted anymore. "Yeah I did... did you like me using it?"

"Yeah... I did" Santana heard her giggle too "I'm going to need to find some names for you" at that the Latina just rolled her eyes playfully; only imagining the cutesy pet names her girl could come up with

"You two should be careful when you talk if you want to keep your relationship quiet" they heard a third voice, from the other side of Rachel

"Are you two together now, that's so cute" then another voice, also the other side of Rachel

"Quinn? Britt?" Santana called out "Please don't tell me you're in the same shower together?"

"No, I'm sitting by the sinks" Brittany called out, referring to the changing bench in the shower room, next to the 6 shower cubicles; that stood in a two rows of three opposite each other "Quinn said we couldn't have shower sex yet"

Quinn was glad she was in a shower cubicle, washing off the zombie gook and that dog drool from the day before and that morning. She was able to hide her blushing, and not really at Brittany's bluntness and inability to filter but at herself for ever being shy around this subject.

"Oh good, or I would have needed to leave before I puke everywhere"

"Zises?" Rachel asked worried. She'd thought Santana and her were the only people in the room. She didn't realise how wrong she was "How many people are in here?"

"Just us" Brittany answered

Rachel could assume that was the five people including herself but this was Brittany and she hated to offend by asking but she had to check "And who's that Britt"

"You're more forgetful than me, You, San, Quinn, Me and Lauren, duh"

"Sorry Brittany I was just checking"

"That's okay but its so great you two are girlfriends now. I'm so proud of you Sanny, you finally told Rachie"

"Actually she told me first" Santana admitted with ease. She didn't mind sharing with her best friend. The two had confided in each other for their new feelings for other people when their 'relationship' started to die down "I just kissed her when she told me"

"Rach you love Santana back? That's so cute, San we're so lucky, our ladies told us they love us first. I just wanna hug you Rach"

"No" she squeaked out, imagining Brittany diving through the curtain sealing her in her cubicle to give her that hug

"Not now silly, San and Quinn would get jealous if I got to see you naked"

"Oh I'd actually call it even if you did Britt. I ah, I saw a little bit too much of Rachel when I found them last night" Quinn couldn't help but tease, she also couldn't help but still be shy about their encounter

"San?" the taller blonde sounded disappointed, the girls in their cubicles could almost hear the pout on her lips "I thought you wanted to wait with Rachel because she's special to you"

"Okay, I've heard enough" the noise of falling water lessened as one of the taps was shut off. There was a moment before the sound of a shower curtain being pulled back and heavy footsteps was heard; accompanied with a "It's getting too queer for me in here"

The others in the room dismissed the fact that Zises had probably forgone changing in one of the available changing cubicles and opted for walking through the living area full of people and up to whatever room she had chosen for herself with a towel wrapped around her.

"No Britt" Santana called out into the now verbally silent room "We didn't sleep together" she clarified the earlier miss understanding "Although if Q hadn't walked in, who knows Rach was pretty eager" she added with a smirk to distract them from her sensitive tone before

"Santana!" Rachel shrieked with embarrassment.

...

Brittany left first, while the others got changed. She met with the others in the seating area next to the kitchen area. Tina was still holding onto Beth, like she had been since Puck passed the child to the Asian girl, comforting her while Puck tried again to get her some food.

Zises was present too, lounging out along one of the sofas, resting her eyes. The others weren't sure how to act around her; she was almost alien to them; any addition to the travelling group would have been. Besides, apart from Puck and occasionally Quinn, Lauren hadn't really been close with any of them before the whole 'end of the world' situation, anyway.

The door to the shower room opened getting everyone's attention; the group watched the three they thought they'd lost emerge from the room.

No one who wasn't looking for signs saw the softer glances Rachel and her Latina shared and the light deliberate brushing of their fingers as they approached the rest of the group.

Quinn took Beth from Tina, who was just as eager to allow the blonde and her daughter to be reunited. Quinn felt little Beth nuzzle against her and cling to her tightly as she squeezed her back. Her little muffled ramblings sounded like she was calling Quinn by a name, a name she'd dreamed of hearing. But Quinn couldn't be sure if that was what she was hearing.

Beth couldn't have replaced Shelby yet, she just couldn't, but perhaps she had adjusted to Quinn properly now, maybe.

Rachel ended up wandering over to one of the walls that was lined with metal lockers and cabinets. Santana decided to give her some space, to make sure people wouldn't think they were together. Of course her not padding around after Rachel would probably look more suspicious. Santana took a seat next to Brittany, Quinn sat the other side with Beth. The Latina used her friends as a shield as she looked past them both to where Rachel was.

She really didn't like it when she saw Finn try to cool-ly stroll over, but she just had to keep remembering Rachel's request to keep them quiet. And that's what kept her rooted to the spot, what stopped her from storming across the room and shoving the man-child away and protectively wrapping her arms round Rachel before giving her another kiss. Something she'd stopped herself doing in the changing room in case someone walked in.

So she just watched, even though it killed her inside to watch Finn. She knew that he thought he still had a chance with Rachel, and that made her feel even queasier

"Hi Rach" he didn't really need the introduction to let her know he was there, his shadow that she now stood in was a big enough clue

She didn't like hearing that name for his mouth anymore, since truly gaining Santana everything changed "Hi Finn" she noted back politely "What's up?" she asked lightly, knowing it didn't sound entirely like her but she wasn't in the mood to put in much effort

"Well I was thinking..." wow; that was a dangerous word for him

She let Finn's voice blur with the chatter from the rest of the group in the room as she searched through the storage cabinets. She would have to check downstairs but if she remembered correctly the downstairs/lower basement was just more bed rooms and a few cells, in the event they were with anyone uncooperative. Rachel paused in her searching actions, thinking about putting Finn away in one of those cells so he couldn't cause anymore harm. She shook it away when she thought of the arguments it might start. She didn't want to divide the people by worrying them that she'd gone crazy and would lock them all away. The truth was she disliked Finn... very much.

Sure, she and Finn had shared something special before. He had meant so much to her once, but after him leaving Santana like that, despite him insisting it was an accident and not an act of selfishness like she continued to assume, she just couldn't care for him anymore. She would tolerate him, and care for him for the reason that he was a live human being.

But he almost got Santana, herself and even Quinn killed. And that was hard to forgive.

She only asked Santana to keep them quiet for now to avoid a Finn tantrum, she suspected he still had feelings for her, and it would just be easier to not have him pouting and kicking chairs every five minutes. She wanted to enjoy her time with Santana, even if it was secret. It was just better to have Finn unaware so he wouldn't work on breaking them up; it might result in a bullet in his brain... Rachel had to shake that thought away too... although she wasn't necessarily picturing herself pulling the trigger. Either way it was a dark thought that needed to be dismissed immediately.

Rachel thought back to what her hands were actually touching; the objects, supplies sitting on the shelves and in the draws of the storage systems. It was obvious the place had been used before as half the supplies were missing. Rachel was sure it must have been used in the last couple of weeks. One give away was the stack of used bed sheets sat in the corner of the room.

At least the last people here had been considerate enough to change the bed sheets and leave them a fair amount of the supplies. Rachel had to wonder; there were only 2 people who would be so considerate in a time like this.

"... So what do you think Rach?" the end to Finn's speech bought Rachel back from her... well; state of ignoring

"Huh, sorry what was that Finn?" she asked, trying to pay attention this time

"I said, maybe it'd be good to give me a chance at helping you lead this thing. I mean Santana seems to be on your side all the time and I get that you're friends now. But we were really great captains of the glee club" Rachel nearly laughed at that, when did he actually pull the captain card for glee club, except when she was kicking or elbowing him to agree with her. "So I thought that maybe we could figure this out all together"

It occurred to Rachel that he'd stopped talking and it was time for her to respond but it took her another second to compose herself so she wouldn't rant or just laughing in his face "Oh, well as kind as that is Finn, I believe everything is under control, and-"

"But you and Santana are, like, in charge and look how that went, Santana decide who would go with who and nearly got herself killed"

The short brunette channelled her anger to unhealthily grinding her teeth "Finn, Santana paired up with you. I don't know why" _'yeah I do, it's because she knew you'd screw up'_ "But she did, and you should be grateful that she sacrificed herself so you could escape"

He tried desperately to make her understand the next words that would come from his mouth "You know it wasn't my fault-"

"I know" _'no I don't'_ "let's just leave it as it is Finn; you're doing a fine job as you are" she prayed he'd just drop it. Giving him any type of control was a hideous idea; she'd be better lining up her fellow survivors to be shot. Maybe that's a bit dramatic, but that's just how she felt.

"Okay" he bowed his head like a disappointed child "But if you change your mind, let me know. I want to help Rachel and" he stepped forward, she felt suffocated as her back hit the metal locker behind her "I want to make you happy" he said lowly, with a nod of the head; that just reminded her of those nodding dogs people put in their cars "I know things ended badly, I scared you off when I tried to take things too far with the proposal and everything. But maybe we could start again"

"Finn" she swallowed audibly, she tried to look past him to Santana for help but he was still blocking her view "I already said"

"I know you said you had feelings for someone else, but I don't see them with you Rach. You made him up to stop me and maybe you from trying again, and I get it, it would hurt if something happened to one of us, but isn't it better than being alone"

"Please Finn, I don't want this anymore" she put a hand on his chest trying to stop him leaning in

.

"San, you need to step in" Quinn muttered against Beth's forehead so only her Latina friend could hear her. Her words made Santana look straight to Rachel, Quinn noticed her tense and before she could shoot out of her chair, Quinn placed a hand on her leg to stop her "You're going to need to be subtle"

That's when Santana realised CJ was curled up by her feet. She always found it a tiny bit amusing that the dog could look so small when she curled up like that. She also found it weird that the dog had taken a better liking to her since the night before. Well it didn't make sense that the dog was with her and not Rachel... who was about to be smothered by the troll "CJ" Santana nudged the snoozing shepherd who groggily opened her red tired eyes "CJ" she whispered harshly "Save Rachel" the dog shuffled her legs to sit up and perked up her ears "Save Rachel" CJ seemed to react to Rachel's name because on hearing it for a second time she was happily padding over to her master.

Before Finn could be any more traumatising, good old CJ shoved her way between them, by their legs forcing Finn to have to stumble back. Finally Rachel was able to breath; she turned round and moved a few cabinets over to put space between her and him. Unfortunately he strolled closer to her again, this time opting to lean on the cabinet next to her, as if in some lame attempt to look more appealing

On the other side of the room Santana had to roll her eyes at his tactics before she said quietly to her friend "Thanks Q"

"Any time S" she replied back in the same tone

With a smirk on her lips and relief in her mind, with Finn no longer smothering her girl, she bowed her head next to Quinn's and said mischievously into her ear "And Q, I wouldn't touch me like that again, or I might think you're coming onto me"

Quinn scoffed playfully "as if"

As Santana attempted to casually join her secret girlfriend and the moron she noticed how he continued to talk to her with that damn goofy smile she just wanted to punch so hard his head would turn inside out.

Before she could concoct more angry thoughts with painful outcomes for Finnocence the not so innocent, Rachel froze. It was so noticeable to anyone looking because Santana was sure she'd never seen the brunette so still, except maybe when she was sleeping. Finn was still babbling on but CJ noticed too, she was still, something clutched in her hand.

Then suddenly: "Guy's!" Rachel yelled and cut the gentle chatter she could hear behind her and the boy she'd come to loath that stood beside her.

"What is it?" Finn tried to take whatever she held from the short brunette but she turned away from him in time

"It's a letter... from my dads" there was such innocent joy in her voice as she read over the words

"What does it say?" Tina asked as she stood from her seat at the breakfast bar.

"Well" Rachel was welling up, she glanced up to Santana who stood rooted to her spot in the middle of the room and ignored Finn who tried to stand by her supportively, when he was actually just looming over her. She rushed over to Santana and handed her the flimsy note "Can you read it to them... I-I can't without cr-" she held back the threatening tears

"Yeah, course I will" she delicately took the note and tried to subtly slip her hand into Rachel's as they joined the eagerly waiting group "It says:

_Dear Rachel_

_We hope you do get this note, although it might be a long shot. _

_It's day 8 since the outbreak, since we called you while you were still at school. We apologise again for leaving you, baby girl, we love you very much and worry about you constantly. Of course we know you are capable of taking care of your friends, but that doesn't stop the worry._

_This is all so much bigger than we imagined. At this point we don't believe the infection has got outside the country but the hopes for us survivors inside are looking slim. We hope you didn't choose the evacuation from Florida route, only because we believe the outcome from there can't be good._

_We calculated the time you might receive this if you stay at this bunker, it is the most secure in a 52 mile radius, and we hope that by the time you may have received this-_

The handwriting changes now" Santana noted

Rachel looked carefully at the writing "Oh, looks like daddy took over, maybe dad was taking forever to get to the point" she nodded for Santana to continue

The Latina scanned over the words to quickly find her place again "Um...

_We hope that by the time you receive this we will be at the fort; we hope you remember the contact number. And hope to hear from you soon._

_We love you so much, see you soon _

_Dad and Daddy_ with three kisses"

They all looked at Rachel expectantly as she tried to gather herself emotionally.

"Do you know the number?" Santana asked softly, not wanting anyone else to jump in and ask her more aggressively

"Yeah" she sniffed and wiped one of the two escapee tears. She let go of Santana's hand to go back to the cabinets, she looked through the ones she hadn't yet before she found the phone. It was similar to the one at the Berry bunker; just a basic old but reliable phone. She dialled a number her fathers had drummed into her as the bunker held their breath

The Berry parents were their hope; hope that they could have a future because these men and other people like them had prepared for this, and simply because they were other uninfected humans still surviving.

After several rings the phone was finally picked up

"_Yeah"_ was the abrupt answer Rachel heard. She hit the hands free button before answering

"Hello, can I speak to the person in charge" Santana almost chuckled at the classic polite Rachel who calmly spoke over the phone; as if the last couple of weeks hadn't just happened.

"_Sure"_ was the abrupt reply before they heard the phone settle and the echo of footsteps walk away.

The silent glee club glanced curiously at each other as if they'd heard that voice somewhere before, only they couldn't place it. The sound of returning footsteps got their eager attention back on the phone again

"_Hello?"_

"Dad?" it shouldn't have been a question, Rachel would know that voice anywhere

"_Rachel, oh it's so wonderful to hear from you"_ there was a muffled noise further away before he said _"I've just put you on speaker. You're daddy's here to Rach"_

"It's so great to know you're both okay" she bit back her guilt knowing it was too late to say those words out loud in front of the other gleeks... or rather ex-gleeks. "Who's your receptionist?" she chuckled, to cut herself off before adding 'she wasn't exactly helpful'

"_Oh, H? She's someone we picked up a few days ago. She's been great help since we put a gun in her hands s__he's a bit lively considering the situation; her personality is quite full on. Seems like she's a bit of a loner; fights like she has nothing to lose"_ he explained

"_But she's been a great help, plus she speaks Spanish, which was some help when we got through to the outside" _added the second fathers voice

"You got a message outside?" Rachel perked up verbally as others seemed to sit up straighter in their seats or silently shuffle to hear better.

"_Yes, we had communication with Mexico about 3 days ago. They've been made aware that there are survivors, many survivors, we've got about 137 with us now-"_

"_Anyway" _the other father butted in, trying to get tot eh point faster_ "They were able to give us the frequency to reach US authorities based in Mexico"_

"And did you reach them?" she asked, trying to get any information they had

"_Barely. We managed to give them some information on the infection; though they're starting to call it a virus, which just seems to make it sound more threatening. That doesn't matter though, we've been doing calculations based on our research"_

"I'm surprised you've had any chance to research anything yet"

"_Well we've been here 5 days, once we got through some dense areas we were able to get here quickly. As for the research H helped us capture one, its in lock down and we've been studying it as well as getting fresh samples to work with"_

"Wait you have a Z in your bunker!" Puck couldn't help his outburst, he was imagining them using a cell similar to what was downstairs, and the idea of keeping one in such close proximity was too scary to think about; he had family with him and he had to think of their security. He didn't like the idea of people in the 'fort' feeling threatened by other people's decisions

"_Yes, don't worry its chained, muzzled and secure under lock and Key"_ the more straight to the point father reassured them all. He wasn't actually sure of how many people he was speaking too, but he didn't want to rile them up for his daughter to deal with after.

"Can you trust everyone though? What if it's released?" Rachel asked shakily. She liked a good concrete barrier between her and the things. Not a few doors and chains

"_We have to Rach, there's not many people out there so we need to team up and . And from what we've learnt...about the virus and the rate of..."_ he trailed off, she had been thinking about things also, and wanted to ask

"I've been doing some mental calculations too... Is it me, dad, or are they not completely lost... I'm sure they can think-"

"_And recognise"_ one of the Berry men finished

"_The one we have... he- It, it recognises us when we, um, 'visit', I see it in its clouded eyes"_

"Is there hope" she really wished there could be, if there was a way to reverse it things could go back to the way they were... at least in her life time, because the time scale she was looking at lately wasn't looking good.

"_No, it still just wants to kill us. We don't think it is aware of much, but it will recognise a face if it sees it more than once. But there's nothing else, it won't even sit, it doesn't feel pain, emotion, tiredness; nothing"_ There was sadness in his voice; he too had hoped for a way to reverse it but the infection was too destructive.

"Do you know why? I wonder, if the infection is not... if it's not destroying things as quickly as we first thought... I mean, it's taking longer than we thought"

There was a pause and a mumbling of distant voices _"... Take us off speaker"_ the voice said

Rachel quickly grabbed the phone "okay, it's just me now" she let them know so they would continue. She huddled herself closer to the cabinet holding the phone so keep the conversation private... well it made it feel more private.

"_Sorry, we don't want their worry to burden you"_

"I will most likely tell them whatever you tell me but perhaps its best that I know first, to prepare" she explained; there was no way she could keep anything from them, even if she tried

"_You were right, that's exactly what this is, it settles quickly, attacking parts of the brain, but after that it slows, feasting of its host carefully to keep it alive longer. Then the infected group together looking for more uninfected, if they see you they will follow you Rachel and don't underestimate them, they can't be easily fooled"_

"What about the time, I was thinking, based on my latest theory, but the number I'm getting until this is clear is... scary" she almost whispered that sentence down the line, quickly glancing over her shoulder to note no one had moved from their spot.

"_We've got some time scales too"_

"Tell me and then I'll say if that's what I had" otherwise she'd say a number out loud and the silent group sitting on the edge of their seats would hear and maybe start asking questions.

She heard a long sigh down the phone line _"If the infection remains confined to this country, 40 years. If not, there's no telling until the world is over ran and what hope there is for the survivors and what they'll have to live through to avoid... zombification"_ he said the last word with a light chuckle. Well what else could you do in this situation?

"Yeah that first number was near what I had in mind" she agreed, keeping her tone flat. She didn't want any emotion to give her away, she almost wanted to cry; the first calculations had been 10 to 15 years, now it was 4 times that.

"_The rest of our lives, and most of yours Rach, I'm so sorry"_ one of her fathers said softly, like he honestly felt there was more he could do. He was probably still feeling bad for leaving her behind

"It's okay, it's not your fault... everything I need is nearby for now" she paused "What's the possibility of them doing something outside?" she didn't want to get her hopes up, but she might as well ask

"_We talked, weighed up a nuclear strike opposed to leaving it for the time scale we gave them. And based on clean up costs of a nuclear strike opposed to the clean up already and the actual amount of survivors out of the country we managed to talk them out of that option"_ for once there was a strongly positive tone to his voice; they had succeeded in something, other than not being eaten

"Good, surely there's too many variables with that first option of theirs" Rachel was constantly careful to speak in code, still not wanting to give anything away just yet

"_That's what we argued they saw our side of things especially when we said we were working on a vaccine and that we had the resources to do so"_

"_Oh Rachel, we hope you get here soon, what progress have you made since we last spoke?"_

"We're over half way to our destination, but we're not joining you in Vegas. We want to set up a base north of Minneapolis, in an old base where they'd evacuate important people to in the event of a nuclear strike"

"_Minneapolis? Sorry honey, but why there?"_

"It seems secluded... on the map. I mean its not central to the country, its north of it. In terms of the groups and swells of un dead it doesn't fit as a natural target for the bigger groups. And isn't there a lot of lakes in the area, I'm hoping the zombies don't swim like many of the theoretical versions you and daddy researched"

"_We're not sure about the water thing, I haven't seen any swim. They might have lost that instinct you are correct but we haven't researched it, besides we're in a desert, we can't test it out. As for your other reasons, that's a really good idea Rach, you're keeping away from the masses of them that gather but you're still in a position where you can travel"_ Rachel was sure he'd just said that in one breath, which made her smile at memory's of time with her family.

"_We wish you luck... how are your people doing?"_

She almost laughed, and she would have if it weren't for the reminder that she had failed people on the way. It seemed so long ago that she wanted them to be her people in the glee club, but it was always a struggle just to get them to listen to her ideas before they were quickly shot down. How ironic that she found them often hanging onto her every word.

"Oh, ah, we lost 3, two on our first night away from the Berry base #1, one yesterday morning. But we gained two, one of the girls from our school, she'd been trailing us finally caught up just in time too. And... Well we've got a dog and she hasn't left mine or Santana's side since we found her"

"_A dog?"_

"_Did she say Santana's still okay?" _she heard a female voice, one with surprise in their tone. She was sure she knew the voice even if she'd only heard it on a few occasions before.

"Yes she's here" she turned round and found Santana right behind her, most likely she'd been listening closely the whole time "I just heard your mom speak, here" she offered her the phone

Santana took a deep breath before eagerly taking the phone from her secret girlfriend. Rachel could see it there in Santana's eyes, fear, fear of being happy that she was able to speak to her parents. Not many had that chance; most might never even know what happened to their parents.

Rachel decided to give Santana some privacy as she started speaking in Spanish down the phone. She knew some Spanish but didn't want to listen in anyway.

"So..." Puck was the first to ask as Rachel wandered back to the main group. Finn seemed to still be hanging around behind her, like a shadow... an over sized shadow.

"Some good news and some bad news" she sighed as she rubbed her tired eyes. She did want to cry all her worries away but had to stay strong of course. "I'll wait until we're done on the phone and then fill you all in"

"You can't even tell us the good news"

She let out a longer stressed sigh before saying bluntly "They're not going to nuke the country"

Silence, Rachel had expected some sort of crazy panic stricken outburst from a few of them but nothing. Then Tina, surprisingly, hissed out one word "Shit" then a muttered "Sorry" to Quinn who was still holding Beth tightly.

The young mother just brushed it off, too focused on Rachel's words from before

"My dads have reasoned with the people on the outside. They talked them out of it, and told them they're working on an antidote, so there's that positive"

"Wouldn't the land itself be useless because of the radiation anyway?"

"Technically, but if they detonate above the land it doesn't become irradiated. But if they were too remote detonate the ones already in the country then it will. If they use outside missiles it could easily trigger the grounded ones here; same outcome. So they have no reason to do it, they might as well wait for this to blow over, it's still shorter than the half life of those radioactive isotopes" some of them looked at her blankly not quite sure what exactly all that meant, others nodded in understanding, but still frightened of the idea. People like to change their minds, this time they had to hope they wouldn't

"But how long will it be, when this all blows over?" Quinn decided to ask the question, although she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer as she held onto her daughter. The answer would determine the kind of life Beth would have, as long as she could survive.

"That's the bad news" Rachel answered reluctantly, her eye line fell on the tiny blonde too, Quinn imagined Rachel was thinking of similar things; Beth represented the future and Rachel could foresee which future that was.

"Ah Rach?" she heard Santana call her so she peeled herself away from the anxious group. It seemed Finn had given up for now and pulled up a chair to sit with the main group. "Your dads just want to say goodbye" she held the phone close, one hand enclosed over the speaker so the other end couldn't hear "my mom filled me in on everything, and a few other things that she didn't want to worry your dads about... so, yeah you better just..." she passed her the phone and took a few steps away

"Dad, daddy?"

"_Yes baby girl?"_ one of then answered, but his tone made his mind sound distant.

"Oh good you're still there. Is it time to say goodbye again?" and those damn tears were back in her eyes

"_Yes... do you know what Mrs Lopez needed to say to Santana, she sounded so desperate, but it was all in Spanish. I doubt H will let us know, and she left quickly after she put the phone back on speaker"_

"_Nope, not for me to say."_ She heard the woman from earlier call out. She was sure she knew that voice... she'd let it bug her later

"_Goodbye little Berry, we love you"_

"I love you too daddy"

"_I love you baby girl. Look after them all... mainly Santana"_

"I love you too daddy... and I will don't worry" She meant for all of them but especially Santana.

"_Make sure she looks after you too"_ he added with the protective father tone. He knew, then.

"I will"

She was sure the phone line cut off before she finished saying those last two words.

"...Think of the infection like an invader and us, people are like the vehicles they use to get from place to place, to spread" Santana trying to explain something to the group bought Rachel back from her lonely place by the phone.

"So... it's tiny aliens" Finn concluded

Santana rolled her eyes "No it's an infection; like all the times you get sick and have to stay home from school but its permanent. That's basically what its being described as. So it doesn't kill as fast as we thought. It keeps the... 'Host' alive longer"

"Is this the bad news about the time scale, Rachel mentioned then?" Sam stepped up to take that one.

"Yes" Rachel said softly as she stepped up beside her girlfriend.

Santana looked to her to ask quietly "Are you okay, with your dads?"

"I will be" she nodded "What did your mom tell you?"

"I think it was what your dads told you, and then some. I've got more bad news" she whispered the last part

"Okay, lets break this together"

"Guys stop whispering and just tell us, can this get any worse" Sam really shouldn't have asked that. Even if he had lost Mercedes and his family's where about-s were unknown, but there could be worse to come

"It can get much worse" Rachel told them, almost apologetically

"Just tell us" Brittany almost shouted hating the waiting.

"Okay" Santana started "First off, I'll start with the least of our worries. Remember those boats that were evacuating people"

"From Florida, yeah, what happened?" Puck rushed her

"Most of them are missing, they didn't make it. Boats destined for the UK all showed up, a few in other places but most of them... 'disappeared'" she hated herself for actually using air quotes but she was making herself clear; she was thinking it too; they were sunk, the people murdered.

"Oh... good thing we didn't go that way then" Mike muttered what they were all thinking

"Did you tell them about the nuclear strike?"

"Yeah, it's all safe right?" Rachel asked

Santana just nodded. They all considered that those words would be gone back on but tried to dismiss it and continue forward "Next is how long this whole thing could last before all the Z's drop dead..." they were silent, glaring at her to finally find out what number of years they were looking at "40 years" she almost chocked on the word as it came out, not wanting to accept it

"I thought at the beginning it might be 10 or so, I didn't imagine this" Rachel tried defensively, but no one was blaming her or Santana anyway for delivering the bad news

"40 years" a few of them mumbled it, or breathed it, taking it in; the golden years of their life was now a survival story

"I know its not what we hoped for, but we have to keep moving right, we just need to survive, get to the base, set up. We can rebuild. If we can get people together, who knows maybe we could wipe them out"

"Or it could be a never ending circle of infection" Sam couldn't help himself but think of that. Mercedes had only had one to deal with and it had got her; they could easily become over powered; they all knew that.

"Hey we need to keep positive; if we don't they've already won" Santana came to Rachel's recue after the first doubt was let out

"Santana's right guys" Quinn was up, carefully sitting Beth on the floor, leaning against the back of the sofa and was next to them in no time, quickly followed by Brittany who didn't want to be without her girlfriend "We can't let them win. I, for one, I'd rather die trying" she admitted bravely. Thinking about death was never fun, especially when it involved being eaten by the Z's like they saw in their nightmares.

"Thank you Quinn" Rachel said politely. And with Quinn craftily standing close to her she had reason to step closer to Santana and carefully slip her hand into the Latina's again

"And with that, there's the last thing I learnt. Rachel, your dads didn't tell you this because they don't know" she couldn't even make eye contact with anyone as she broke this news "the density in the area is rising rapidly. My mom who's been monitoring the Z's movements isn't sure if its a suspected swell of movement; she thought that would take longer. She thinks it might be the beginnings of that stage though. They're moving her from the south. We need to head north, soon"

"How soon is soon?" Rachel jumped in

"Immediately, within the next two hours"

"Wait, we just got here" Finn pointed out, taking a stand "there's supplies here, we could just wade them out"

"No that's no good, we need to keep moving. The density will get thicker we'll be surrounded with no way out and then we'll starve" she was keeping cool and being reasonable, when really she wanted to throw a fist

"You know what Santana-"

"Don't start Finn" Rachel warned, or she might be throwing punches too

"- you're always trying to take Rachel's side; is that so you can kick her out the way and be the head bitch, like always" he then looked to Rachel, while Santana protectively pulled their held hands behind them and closed the gap by stepping closer, so no one could see them entwined "She doesn't want to be your friend Rachel, she just wants to take over"

"Actually Finn. Not that Santana needs me to stand up for her" she felt Santana squeeze her hand in approval anyway "But she's just doing what she can, so are Quinn and Brittany and Puck and actually everyone here has been responsible, by helping one another, you are the only irresponsible one, like leaving that door open, letting the Z's in. Because of that we had to get new equipment and food, and we lost Mercedes doing that" Rachel's anger had been brewing throughout that rant, the last words had come out through clenched teeth.

"Rachel, she's messed this up for us, why are you siding with her when you should be siding with me. We belong together, and she's trying to break us up again"

"Don't even pull that shit, Finnidiot or I'll leave you in one of those cells downstairs" she yelled back

"Guys can't we all just calm down, if San's mom who's been monitoring the Z's says we should move, we should move. She's spent a part of her life preparing for this" the blonde girl with the short hair, tried to reason and calm the scene, having enough of violence for the past 24 hours

The rest of the room watched the three on one verbal tennis match volley back and forth, waiting for someone to physically lash out or someone to start crying. Private bets were saying Finn would receive the first thrown punch/kick/slap/etc and would be the first to cry

"Oh that's it Quinn, try and be the goody goody, because you've never hurt anyone here"

"Oh you wanna try it Finnstupid" Gangsta Brittany threateningly stomped forward, to protect her girlfriend and friends

Before another word could be said the sheer joy and wonderful sound of a childs squealish laughter cut through the room. Their eyes all shot to Beth who was near where Quinn left her, only she was laying along CJ's back, the dog looked happy for her to be there as she let Beth tug at one of her pointy ears. Beth slid down CJ's side gently onto the floor where she sat up and began playing with the dogs fur, CJ just stretched out on to her back, keeping submissively low, as she let Beth climb all over her again. Above on the sofa Lord Tubbington was lying lazily with unamused eyes.

A picture of innocence sat before them, and for a moment they all felt some hope.

**AN: Just to mention, the whole boats idea and the fact the ones going to the UK actually showed up and others didn't; I hope I didn't offend anyone. I just thought about it realistically (yeah weird thought when trying to write a zombie fic) and realistically I think the UK would be the only country stupid enough to actually bring possibly infected people into the country without knowing anything about the infection, that required such a drastic evacuation. I mean, I believe the people would have mixed feelings and the government would ignore that and just let them in... I'm English by the way... so yeah.**

**Any who, let me know what you think...**


	23. By Moon Light

**AN: Okay so, I guess I've been hesitant to kill anyone off lately; I'm getting too attached to them all. So I'm taking a lesson from Shaun of the dead (only Zombie film I've seen :S ) and like in that, most of the deaths are going to occur towards the end... which might be coming up at some point. Not a quick ending but kinda the ending yeah :S**

**Also if you haven't seen Shaun of the dead, watch it, it's hilarious... then again it might just be my sense of humour... Y****outube: /watch?v=SnTR-cG5W1I**

**Anyway, thanks to those of you who reviewed since the previous chapter: JackyKay, xtreme, I agree, VickiiMadd, SoFlaComet, ShadowCub, A C one, ConfessedGleek16, TrustInFaith, jhickson001, Glee Fan, amazinglife18, Alese 222, agirl002, xphrnzrjh, Amazed, Miles, aquarius127, Blue-Portrait, FaberryBRA, Cressey, General Mac, Jhyena Aj Jax, Gracksies, jbecera and davinelyfavoured69.**

**Another thanks to Jhyena Aj Jax for reviewing every single chapter one after the other :S **

**Posted: 22/9/12**

By Moon Light

"What are you doing up here?" Rachel asked tentatively. Santana looked back over her shoulder to find the top half of Rachel poking out of the roof hatch that led to the discrete sunken balcony on the roof of the safe house.

"I couldn't take seeing Finn all over you like that" she answered before looking back at the landscape ahead of her. She had her arms folded and resting on the wall in front of her "The way he follows you, asking stupid questions, making stupid suggestions" she almost spat the words, but she didn't want to scare Rachel off. Rachel climbed out of the hole and closed the hatch so no one downstairs might over hear them.

The sun was already setting, the day had gone by so quickly and the people down stairs still failed to act quickly. She understood their concerns to make sure they were packed and ready but when she said 2 hours she was being generous.

She heard Rachel take a few steps closer "I'm sorry, I should have just told him" she said timidly

"Yeah you should" Santana hated the sharpness in her tone, but she couldn't help how she felt

"I'm just worried he'll do something stupid, to try and win me back" Rachel admitted "I thought it would be easier, and he wouldn't try so hard if he didn't know he'd have to compete with you" she then realised how that might have sounded "Not that there's a competition... but yeah, he'll probably do something stupid"

Santana scoffed, keeping her back to her girlfriend "More stupid than all the shit he's already done?" it was a rhetorical question, obviously "I'm worried he's going to get you killed with some failed heroics" she tried to laugh, and it started as a laugh but turned into soft weeping. Rachel's arms slipped round Santana's waist from behind "...I am scared though Rach..." she admitted through her mild tears

"Of what?" she took Santana's arms that had been resting on top of the wall, by the wrists and unfolded her arms, she then turned Santana round so she could hold her properly

"Of him taking you away from me, he's trying so hard to win you over" Santana hated herself for feeling so vulnerable. She thought she'd be the strong one. But she couldn't help that evil part of her mind upsetting her by imagining all the worse possible scenarios.

"I loved him, I did once, I must have" Rachel muttered as she nuzzled her head further into Santana's neck "But... Santana he just can't compare to you" To put it simply as that was all Rachel could say without rambling on and on. Although Santana probably wouldn't have minded if it was about her "And any respectful friendship feelings I had left for Finn were destroyed when he left you behind"

"Really?"

"Are you kidding, when you didn't run out of that hospital behind him, my entire world came crashing down" she was getting tearful just thinking about it "... if the worst had happened to you in there then I would have given up and met my end right there too"

"Rach, that's sweet, but" she pushed Rachel away slightly to look into her eyes (As she couldn't step back, as she pressed against the balcony wall) "... I'm still pissed at you for risking yourself like that. I'm so happy you did though, we might never have-"

The shorter girl pressed her lips soundly against Santana's to silence her. Her words were only building worry and tension around them and she didn't want to hear it. The simple kiss was just what she needed right now. Santana was eager for more though, she slipped her arms round Rachel and turned them round so that Rachel was now the one trapped against the wall.

Rachel managed to release Santana's lips so she could breath "Can we not think about all the 'what ifs' and the 'might have beens'. I'm just relieved you're okay and with me again. I don't know what I'd do without you" she took comfort in the Latina's arms again, hiding her head in the taller girls shoulder.

"I will never leave you. That's a promise"

Rachel tensed, pulled her head away from Santana's shoulder and eyes the Latina suspiciously "Did you just quote 'Aliens' to me?" a smirk-y smile tugged at her lips

"Um... I might have done" she bowed her head shyly "Wait you've actually seen 'Aliens'?" She only asked because it didn't seem like a Rachel thing to watch... then again the past few weeks had shown she hardly knew Rachel anyway. She liked this one as much as the original one anyway. There were still similarities but this one was just badass... kinda.

"Yeah, those movies can help you prepare for many possible disasters" the little diva shrugged innocently

Wait "What?" Santana was shocked; had the Berry's been preparing for alien invasion as well?

"I'm joking, lighten up" she chuckled

She laughed humourlessly "That's easier said than done" kept her arms wrapped round Rachel's middle and her chin resting on the shorter girl's shoulder "What are you doing up here, anyway?"

"Looking for you, and avoiding Finn" she added the second part lowly "He's asking ridiculous questions and I can't be bothered to try and explain again. He thinks that the zombies live for 40 years when what I meant was-"

"That it's like a domino effect, from the first infected to when the last ones die it will be around 40 years" she hoped that was what Rachel was going to say, she secretly wanted to have one of those relationships where they could finish each other's sentences. It was a petty thought but she still had it.

"Exactly" she kissed her quickly on the lips, like it was a reward for being able to understand what was going on "Did your mom say how many could be in the group heading our way?"

"A couple of hundred, maybe a thousand" she sighed "She said because we're getting nearer to the centre of the country that's where they will more likely be, the edges are safer"

"Even with Canada above us?" she raised a worried and sceptical eyebrow

"Canada isn't as heavily populated, the people aren't as spread out, kinda, and its colder there so that might slow them down... destroy them" she paused to dwell on another thought "we must have passed hundreds of other survivors by now, hiding in their homes... I feel so useless" she breathed as she held back more tears

"Hey, hey; you, Santana Lopez, are _far_ from useless" she squeezed her girlfriend tighter.

"I think of everyone downstairs, they've all lost someone. I've still got my parents and now I've got you" she sniffed as she buried her head against Rachel's shoulder "we could be saving so many people if we tried looking for them"

"San" her motives were heroic and somewhat sweet, but not completely plausible. She managed to get Santana to look at her again, her hands on Santana's shoulders and the taller girl's hands on Rachel's hips "It just wouldn't work, dragging any large number of people along these roads, it would draw too much attention, and be too many people to handle. Once we're settled, and safe, we'll be able to help more people, and don't forget the message Sam put out, who knows, people here might have read it"

"You're right" she sniffed "But once we set up a home- Ah, I mean base... maybe we, you and me that is" she stumbled over her words, not wanting to sound suggestive. She hoped she'd have Rachel forever, but people break up everyday... she didn't want to sound presumptuous "could find people, and bring them back. Maybe set up more bases for others, so there's no overcrowding"

"That's a wonderful idea... and for what it's worth I..." she stopped, not wanting to ruin the moment

"You what?" she wiped at her eyes again so she could see clearly and watched Rachel carefully

"I... I may have imagined..." she bowed her head shyly "an entire life for us" she muttered quietly

"You did?" Santana couldn't help but smile. Maybe now wasn't the best time but she wanted to know what Rachel had imagined "What did you see for us?"

She looked back up, shocked that the Latina wasn't just mocking her "Um, well" she couldn't help but smile at the images that cropped up in her mind, yet again "I was on Broadway, you were... well successful, I thought Lawyer but... anyway we had a daughter and were planning for a second child. You'd carried the first and she had your hair. I was going to carry the second..." Santana had this look in her eye and Rachel couldn't figure it out "Why are you looking at me like that?" she shyly smiled

"I wish I could have given you that" she was smiling but it was a hurt smile "I wish we could have everything you just said"

"Who says we can't?" Rachel jumped in

Santana just scoffed "Have you seen what's going on around us? You think you can still be on Broadway, okay, but you'll be performing in front of a mixed audience of dead and living" she chuckled, Rachel wasn't hurt she just laughed too "I'll be on my way home in some suit you picked out for me, I'll just head out of the office, sling my purse over my shoulder and grab my shotgun" another laugh at the image

"Why not?" Rachel asked playfully "Why is our world having to change to fit them in? They should fit into ours"

"Sure. Let's rebuild New York City then" Santana said elaborately "I'll be mayor and you can be my hot wife and _the _star of Broadway theatre... although you might have competition with Kurt" Rachel loved the idea.

"Wife?" she didn't mean to squeak when she said that one word

"Oh" it wasn't until Rachel said that word that she realised she'd said it, her slight shock was evident on her face "well you said about our future and kids-"

"Yeah but that wasn't when this walking dead takeover was a factor"

"Oh" Santana's expression dropped and her head bowed, she released Rachel and tried to move away but Rachel's hand slipped round the back of her neck so she couldn't escape

"Wait, I was kidding" "I know it's only been two days since we told each other... but I still want everything with you Santana, if I can"

"Everything?"

"Everything" she confirmed with a sincere nod "Everything I can get"

"Oh really" Santana wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, her confidence was quickly back again

"Well, yeah, that, Um... of course, maybe not yet" she blushed

"I know" she trailed her hands up Rachel's sides until they reached the sides of her face, she held her face gently as she moved in for another kiss, a slower yet just as soft kiss. It was reassuring and didn't push; even if Rachel wouldn't have minded the kiss going further "Everything's going to be okay"

"I know" Rachel replied echoing her girlfriend's previous words. She hugged Santana tightly again, the taller girl rested her head on top of Rachel's shoulder as she savoured their moment.

"We really need to leave" she said calmly

"I know, come on" Rachel peeled herself away but slipped her hand into her girlfriends as she started back toward the roof hatch "Even if they're not ready, we'll just get in the cars and go"

"Good" the Latina swallowed audibly, not looking away from the direction she'd been looking when Rachel had been hugging her "'Cause look" she pointed out with her free hand.

Rachel stopped and looked back, she followed the direction of Santana's pointing hand down the long stretch of road that sat opposite the house, and on the horizon something was moving, a wall of something. A wall of walking dead was heading their way.

.

"Guys we gotta go!" Rachel yelled running into the garage, her guns all with her and Santana on her heels. CJ had been waiting in the corner of the garage, which was where all the action was happening right now. As soon as the loyal dog saw her master she was bounding across the room to catch up, and then padding around behind Rachel.

"Yeah we're packing as fast as we can" Puck explained, as he took Puck for Quinn's arms so she could help Brittany reload her gun. Brittany didn't really need the help but anything to get more of Quinn's attention.

"No time just get in, we need to go like now" Santana reinforced her secret girlfriends words

"But the supplies-" it might have been Kurt, Santana wasn't entirely sure who had protested but she cut them off anyway

"We haven't got time, they're getting closer" she threw her gun onto the driver's seat of the jeep before heading round to the back door

"How do you know?" Tina was frozen to the spot, not ready to actually face any walking dead yet. She'd been quite lucky, despite volunteering she'd still managed to avoid the confrontation

"We can see them form upstairs" Rachel told Tina, as she handed her back the assault rifle. "It's going to be okay" she was looking at Tina when she said it to give the girl reassurance but she meant it for all of them

The Asian girl just nodded before snapping back into action

"Sam, Finn, can you help get Artie into the jeep, please?" Puck had his hands full otherwise Rachel would have asked him and not Finn, who was giving her some sort of pleased and hopeful look. She ignored him and favoured her attention to Artie. The boy had mostly been keeping quiet, hating that he was becoming an object when they had to carry around; like their supplies.

"Just leave me" he sighed

"Artie?" Rachel creased her brow as she crouched in front of his chair

"I'm slowing you down" he muttered and tried to wheel himself backwards. He was jolted to a stop when he was backed up against something.

"You're slowing us down by having this discussion" Santana pointed out from behind him

"And I take up too much space in the jeep" he added

"We can easily have you sit on the bench and collapse the chair, Artie" Rachel explained "If we need more room then we can do that. But we're not leaving anyone behind" she stood up again, patting his shoulder comfortingly as she nodded to the waiting boys to help Artie into the jeep.

They didn't waste time after that, packing the car with just themselves, half their food and general supplies left on the garage floor as the two cars filled.

The back of Pucks truck was full, but not too heavily weighed down by supplies. Puck begged Zises for the keys so he could drive his old Baby, after some teasing she gave in, happy to see him happy.

Santana insisted on driving the remaining jeep, Rachel and CJ took the passenger seat, Quinn and Brittany sat next to one another, Quinn cradling Beth and Brittany mirroring them with Lord Tubbington, next sat Sam then Artie was squeezed onto the bench at the end, his chair collapsed and placed on the roof of the jeep with other supplies which had been fastened down.. On the opposite side of the jeep Finn sat behind Rachel's seat next to Tina then Mike, Kurt, and Blaine.

It was close in the truck; claustrophobic, but they would have to deal with that for now, as long as they could just about breath.

Puck said he'd make sure the garage was shut before they left. So Santana pulled out of the safe house first. She waited for Puck to close it behind them and get back in his truck before she started up again

...

Leaving the area was harder than they thought; they didn't know the roads, obviously. They had hit two dead ends and even completed a circle and ended up where they had already been.

Eventually they did make it to a highway and headed north, that only lasted 20 minutes before they had to leave the road, a truck had turned over and several cars lay abandoned around it. There was no clear way through and they didn't want to drive through anything that would bring a stop to their vehicles. None of them felt like changing a tire right now. Not with the increasing dead they were finding on their travels, that and knowing there were many behind them... they couldn't be sure though with all the wrong turns and back tracking, how close that wall of stumbling death was behind them.

The tiny amount of luck they had eventually ran out when they reached a dead end... quite literally a dead end. It would be the end to try and drive through it and they were dead.

"Shit, Z's ahead"

"And to the right" Rachel noted looking out the window to the other road option that was a head of them

"Shit" Santana said again.

The pickup pulled up close next to them, Puck wound down his window, Rachel noticed what he was doing and did the same "What do we do?" the boy with the Mohawk yelled across to the jeep passenger

"Um" she thought, she really tried to think "We need to get out of here, we better think of a way" she said hoping it would encourage other people to try and come up with something.

"Think of what? We're fucked!" Finn yelled from the back seat

"Shut up!" Santana growled from the driver's seat, the Z's were still closing in from the front and the right. They were behind them too, they had to be, _those_ damn things had been following since they left the house

"We're doomed here!"

"SHUT UP!" the giant man child's obviousness wasn't help "Puck!" she yelled across Rachel and out the open window getting the other drivers attention "Stay close" she was doing all she could do; trying to save their ass's in this tight situation... bad combination of words? Anyway, so it wasn't surprising when her voice betrayed her and showed her just how nervous she was.

He nodded and she took that as her permission to try something. She kicked the clutch down and put the car in reverse. She then punched the accelerator as she released the clutch, sending the car into a smoking wheel spin, everyone lurched forward as the car shot back. Once she'd built up some speed, like a move out of some stunt filled action packed movie she turned the car sharply sending it into a 180 spin. Mutters of feeling sick were heard from the other passengers as she changed gear again and sped off back down the road they'd just come from

She checked the side mirror and saw that Puck was following closely, though he'd gone for a classic U-turn.

Rachel noticed a small smile tug at the Latina's lips, and Santana noticed the petite girl watching her, she spared her a quick glance with a childish grin and said "I've always wanted to do that"

Despite the situation, Rachel couldn't help but smile just a little bit at Santana's antics.

It wasn't long, only a few hundred meters back down the road when they saw in the distance.

"Do you know where we're going?" Rachel asked quietly, not wanting to sound like she was undermining Santana and her current plan

"I saw a sign to an airfield back this way, I think it's behind these houses" she nodded to the left. It wasn't long before they were faced with the inevitable, another wall of death. It was time for Santana to test out that theory and find out if that airfield was the other side of those houses, she turned sharply, and an alert Puck was right behind her.

She drove directly between two houses knocking down any fences in their way, Rachel cringed at every bump and scrape she heard, but Santana could hardly be delicate at a time like this.

She drove through one of the gardens, smashing through a swing set and various children's garden toys and bikes that had been left sprawled across the back yard.

"An Airport?" they heard from behind them, not sure which male asked but it probably wasn't Finn because they weren't yelling hysterically like he had been a minute before.

The jeep burst through the back fence, splintering wood everywhere. She'd got lucky; they were now on a large open airfield. It was hard to tell at first but it looked like it only had a single small runway, it was probably a private airfield, not privately owned by one person, otherwise there wouldn't have been a road sign pointing them here.

"Are you nuts Santana? What? You can drive a plane now?" Yeah there was the hysterical one

"You fly a plane dumb ass" they heard Tina mumble for the other side of Finn

"And what's it to you Finnept? You got any better ideas" she spat

"Wait you can fly a plane?" Rachel perked up, that would really solve everything

"Fly?" Santana asked "Probably. Land? Probably not" Rachel's hope sunk along with everyone else's in the car. It was a thought though, for the future; to conquer the skies and fly to freedom... it could happen.

"Why are we here then?"

"To get away from those flesh eating fuckers!" she yelled, why did he have to be so thick, it was like explaining to a four year old; though she was sure a 4 year old would eventually shut up and except they they weren't going to understand things. "And to get a perspective..." Santana trailed off as she managed to make out what was in their surroundings, in the moonlight and headlights. She checked her mirrors Puck was still with them.

"We're still surrounded" Rachel finished the sentence to her. They could see them, coming from all directions, they weren't in crowds as thick as they had been out on the road, but there was still many of them, slowly closing in.

There's no way they'd have enough ammo to fight through this.

"What's that over there?" they could just about make it out in the failing light; an aircraft hangar in the distance at the end of the runway; they might just make it if Santana would put her foot down.

They sped closer and closer, swerving the walking dead in their way. Santana figured if she hit too many it might damage the car, maybe rotting limbs would get tangled in the wheels.

"I'll get the door" Rachel announced like it was an easy task. Santana was sure she'd make it look easy.

It was actually getting harder for Rachel to surprise her fellow apocalypse survivors. So it was no surprise when she jumped from the still moving car. She ran over to the hanger door, CJ unsurprisingly behind her. She smashed the glass panel set high in the door before climbing through, careful not to hurt her on the sharp edges still set in the frame. CJ whined impatiently as her Rachel disappeared. It felt like several minutes with the walking dead bearing down on them as they waited for a way into the hangar to present itself.

In the moon shadow of the hangar they waited until the sound of grinding metal startled them all from their nervous wait. The giant hangar doors parted just enough in the middle for the two cars to slip in. Puck was closer so he drove in first. CJ was actually next before Santana managed to get the inside. The doors were mechanically closed shutting out the last of the setting sun and the moon light.

Rachel had hoped for a private jet to be sitting in front of her when she'd climbed in. It would have been a perfect place to defend themselves from, if they got inside closed the door and smashed out the windows to fire their guns from... well it would have been perfect until they ran out of ammo.

At least they'd been able to obtain some more ammo at the previous safe house, but it still wasn't a lot.

"Cars" Rachel said out loud as she could make out rows upon rows of cars... that wasn't what she'd expected. She couldn't be completely sure if that was all that was in here, so they;d have to look round. She led CJ back over to the jeep and opened the passenger side door open forcing the dog to climb in. She slammed the door behind the dog and said through the open window

"CJ Stay" and after that command she turned to the rest of the car "We need to look for things we can use to fight through them. So I'm going to take a look around" she went to leave but was stopped by one questioning word

"Like?" Why did Finn have to ask any questions?

"I don't know, this is an aircraft hangar, there might be some fuel round here, maybe we can fight them off with Fire" Yes she was using Santana's original idea, which Santana was pleased to hear; Rachel must have thought the results at the hospital were good if she wanted to revisit that plan. Once she'd finished her typically too long explanation, and stormed off out into the dark. Santana had to run to catch up.

"I'll help too" Finn yelled as he climbed over the people not caring about hurting anyone, just focusing on helping Rachel and proving himself by finding something to save them all... yeah he was picturing himself like some doofus superhero, with a 'cool' cape and everything. Rachel would _just_ love that.

"Come on" Blaine encouraged Kurt out of the car "We might as well help as well, you guys stay here just in case" he told them, only because he didn't want to be responsible if they got hurt because he'd encouraged them out of the car. He was okay looking after Kurt by his side though.

The next one to jump ship was CJ, she also climbed over the remaining passengers to go find her friends.

.

"Rachel, wait up" Santana kept her voice low, the echo in the empty space

"Sorry, I just wanted to keep moving... before-"

"Rachel where are you" they heard Finn's voice from somewhere behind them.

Santana noticed Rachel roll her eyes before the girl whispered "Before that happened"

Santana held back a giggle and grabbed Rachel's hand before ducking down and leading her between two cars, so that Finn wouldn't see them

.

"Shit" Finn hissed, he strained his eyes as he looked out into the dark, trying to make out any movement. He glanced back to the waiting cars and quickly debated going back. But he couldn't, not until he'd found what ever it was that was going to get them out of here, and proved to the girl he loved that he could be responsible

.

Meanwhile back in the jeep, Brittany was struggling to keep a hold of the fidgety fat cat in her arms. He managed to get free and darted for the open back of the vehicle, faster than he'd probably ever moved before.

"Lord Tubbington! Wait" Brittany scolded the cat as she followed him out of the back of the jeep

"No Brittany!" Quinn whispered harshly but it was too late, the blonde girl disappeared into the darkness outside the jeep. She looked to Tina opposite "Can you take Beth for a second?"

Tina took Beth quickly from Quinn's outstretched arms with a quick "Sure"

As soon as Beth was in Tina's capable hands Quinn too vanished out of the jeep into the darkness, Instinctually Sam followed, then Mike. Quinn didn't stop she needed to get Brittany, But Sam stopped to say "Mike, stay look after them just in case"

Artie was getting sick of this, for a start the girls didn't need looking after they seemed to be doing better than the guys anyway, but also he'd let himself become a nothing, and he'd had enough "We've got it" he said, grabbing the rifle he'd been given but never used.

Mike checked by looking at Tina into the better lighted vehicle. She nodded encouragingly; she'd be okay... although she wasn't sure how she felt about letting him go.

.

"Rachel" Finn whimpered as he stalked slowly between two rows of cars. Who kept cars in an airport hanger? He thought to himself, that thought distracted him long enough to calm down a little bit.

He turned sharply when her heard voices back towards the tuck

"Cool it, it's just Quinn yelling... to Brittany... nothing's going to eat you" he was breathing deeply as he muttered to himself, he kept his rifle close as he kept walking backwards

.

Sam and Mike held cradled their guns, afraid of what would be lurking in the darkness between the rows and columns of various vehicles. Most were vintage or sports cars, it was a collectors paradise in here, shame it would probably soon be the scene of a zombie feast, or preferable massacre some time soon

"What the hell happened to Quinn?" Sam whispered, afraid to be louder in case there was a zombie in the shadows ready to leap out and eat him

"I don't know... maybe we should head back" Mike wasn't afraid to admit he was afraid. His legs were shaking, he was sure the whole room could hear his knees knocking together like something out of a Scooby-doo cartoon. Tina was his rock and he wanted to be by her side again

"We should find them, or something to help us get out of here, there's not much point going back yet" Sam reasoned as he kept going forward, making sure to tread lightly.

Mike nervously looked over his shoulder to the slightly illuminated jeep, the warm light glowing inside made it warm and inviting but the cold dark distance he'd have to cross, and by himself as Sam had his heart set in walking in a different direction, made the journey back terrifyingly impossible.

.

"Lord Tubbington" Brittany huffed as she climbed into the back seat of a convertible to grab the cat she'd just seen climb into. Again Quinn was amazed that the car could even climb when walking looked like a miracle.

"Have you got him?" Quinn asked nervously, the dark was really unnerving even for the bravest of blonde teenage mother/ Zombie killers.

"Yeah" Brittany just innocently sat in the back of the car hugging her cat

"Okay lets head back"

"But Lord Tubbington wants to sit in the convertible" Brittany pouted so obviously Quinn could hear it in her tone of voice if she hadn't been able to see it in the moon light.

For most that whine and at a time like this would be irritating, for Quinn it was her girlfriend being her cute self. Quinn ended up slinging her gun onto the front passenger seat before jumping over the door and into the car herself. Amazingly the alarm didn't go off, maybe the car was unlocked or the alarm disabled, it didn't really matter either way.

.

Tina and Artie were jolted from the uneasy calm when Puck and Lauren just appeared at the open doors at the end of the jeep

"They all took off?" Puck raised an eyebrow, seeing Beth left with Tina. He trusted Tina, she'd looked after Beth before, like earlier when he'd wanted to talk to Zises alone, but he was worried that Quinn would just take off... he'd been Uh, busy and hadn't noticed when all the people went missing.

"They're looking for things to use so we can escape. I think Rachel just wants to set things of fire" Artie murmured before nervously nudging his glasses up his nose.

"We'll wait with you" Zises climbed in taking a seat next to Artie further in the vehicle.

"Yeah... I'm not liking the noises coming for the door over there" Puck said quietly as he climbed in too, taking Beth off Tina when the Asian teen offered her to him.

Puck must have been referring to the Zombies that had caught up who were now on the other side of the metal doors. They could only imagine the walking dead outside, bashing the metal, trying to break their way in.

.

Finn hadn't made much progress, in fact he was lost. He couldn't see the jeep; he couldn't see any light source other than the moon shining in through the high windows. Suddenly he could hear a ticking noise behind him, making the tiny hairs on his neck stand up on end

"Rachel?" he whispered. The ticking noise moved to his right. He raised his gun quickly trying to find what was making that noise. Again the noise but closer, making Finn's heart beat wildly in his chest and a cold sweat suddenly cling to his body "Santana?" he tried another name, he just needed contact right now, a voice to lead him out of this sudden nightmare

"Kurt?" he whispered another name, please he really just needed someone. The ticking got louder and was right behind him making him spin around... then nothing it had stopped.

Finn tried to settle his breathing and concentrate his ears on his immediate surroundings. He choked on his yelp, when the felt something brush right past his leg. He jumped back, straight into another car "its okay, its okay" he chanted to himself, "it's in your head"

.

"Did you hear something?" Kurt whispered to his boyfriend

"I thought I heard someone say your name, but I'm not sure" Blaine whispered back, he slowly went to slip his hand into Kurt's but as soon as his finger grazed Kurt's hand the older boy flinched "Sorry" he murmured

"It's okay, here" he reached out into the dark space between them and found Blaine's hand "You just startled me"

.

"Santana?" Rachel asked "You still there"

"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere" the Latina laughed a little from behind Rachel

"Good" the brunette then sighed as she moved between another two cars "It's not looking good is it?"

"We're getting out of here" Santana found Rachel's arm and yanked her back, pulling her close so their bodies were flush together "All of us"

"I love you" She whispered back, Santana really did make it feel like anything was possible.

Before Santana could do what she wanted to does she found herself being forced to the ground by her secret girlfriend. They landed with an oomph. When Santana's senses returned she heard the unmistakable loud reverberation of gun fire.

.

Back at the jeep all 5 waiting passengers ears easily perked up at the rippling noise on gun fire

"What the hell?" Puck handed Beth back to Tina before grabbing his gun and slowly poking his head out to see what the commotion was

.

"Cease Fire, Cease Fire" Rachel yelled her order but she wasn't sure if the shooter had heard them as they kept firing

"Cease Fire, you fucking moron!" Santana yelled even louder, hating that Rachel was above her right now. She wanted to be able to protect her right now not the other way round.

The gun fire stopped but the echoing from it remained momentarily. They waited a second until it was clear before Rachel got up and then helped Santana to her feet. They brushed themselves down instinctually, seeing as they couldn't actually see any hanger dirt on their clothes

"Sorry about knocking you down" Santana saw in the moonlight the worried look on Rachel's face

"That's okay, you saved my life" Santana was breathing shakily

"Again" Rachel added cheekily

Santana just firmly grabbed Rachel by the arms and pulled her in for a secret kiss. There was no way anyone would be able to see what they were doing in the dark unless they were standing right next to them.

Rachel was shocked by her girlfriend's bold actions at a time like this, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it "Santana" she whisper scolded "someone might have seen"

"So" Santana just shrugged with a mischievous smile

Rachel was stumped, it would have been hard to get caught without some sort of night vision device, but if they had, why did she really care?

Suddenly the slight smirk on Santana's face dropped. She could feel something wet in her hand, and it wasn't CJ's drool for once. She raised her hand and in the moonlight could see the dark liquid in the palm of her hand

"Santana you're bleeding" they'd deal with the idiot who fired the gun in a minute, once Rachel was done worrying

"It's not me" the Latina shook her head as her eyes went wide. They both slowly looked to Rachel's left arm where Santana's hand had been, her hoody sleeve was growing darker round a rip in the material, there was also a red patch to the left of her torso

"Santana" the girl breathed before falling into her girlfriends arms

"Rachel!" she gasped, as she tried to hold her up. She heard footsteps rushing in their direction. Santana carefully lowered Rachel down onto the ground on her back.

"Anyone hurt?" that was Quinn's voice, Santana would recognise her yelling anywhere thanks to Cheerios practice.

"Yeah over here" The Latina called out

"Who was firing?" she asked lowering her voice as she closed in.

"I don't know" she sighed back as Quinn dropped down next to her, Brittany right behind her girlfriend with a Fat cat in her arms.

Then they heard Blaine's voice, not far from them, weakly utter one word "Kurt?"

**Let me know what you think...**


	24. Bandages

**Thanks for reviewing the previous chapter: Broadwayfreak5357, pattiRISHA, A C one, Danicalifornia26, NotThatGrrl, Alese222, Jhyena AJ Jax, agirl002, boringsiot, Angel Scones, Blue-Portrait, xphrnzrjh **(hope the test went okay lol)**, Guest, J4M3Z XO, Amazed, VickiiMadd, SoFlaComet, ShadowCub, aquarius127, TrustInFaith, Musicfutbolfan6, amazinglife18, Miles, xtreme, ConfessedGleek, cressey, xxxPLLforeverxxx, JBC97 and General Mac. Also thanks to In-betweens for all the reviews on previous chapters.**

**Posted: 1/10/12**

Bandages

"Blaine? Where are you? I can't see a damn thing" Santana called put from where she was crouched next to Rachel

"Santana? Kurt's hurt, he's unconscious, I think he was shot" his voice wasn't far, if someone hadn't fired their gun they probably would have walked into each other in a few steps

"Who was firing their gun?" Santana asked her voice surprisingly shrill in panic.

"I don't know" Quinn said from behind Santana "Britt and I just heard the gun fire and came running. How bad is it?" she asked as she strained her eyes to see over Santana's moon highlighted shoulder.

"I don't know, her arm was bleeding and her side but I can't tell"

"Okay, no body move, I'll get the car up here, get some light so we can see what the hell is going on" Quinn said, she squeezed Brittany's arm before running the length of the hangar back to their cars. As she got nearer she heard the banging against the huge hangar doors, she imagined the dead on the other side trying to get on. If it weren't for the flimsy doors in each corner of the hangar Quinn would have believed there was no way the Zs would get in through the main metal hangar doors.

As soon as she got to the jeep, she skidded to a halt at the open back doors, surprised to see 5 in the pack "Where are Sam and Mike?"

"They went with you" Tina said worried "What was the noise, sounded like a gun" she added with more worry

Quinn looked back just as worried but then turned her attention to Puck "Puck get in your truck, go up one of the lanes between the cars and come round the back to give Kurt and Blain some light, I'll drive up the and come up in front"

"Why do they need light?" he asked as he passed Beth back to Tina and started to climb out of the truck

"Kurt and Rachel have been shot, I don't know how bad it is, they need some light" she urged him out of the jeep by pulling him on his arm "We just need to move quickly"

"Okay, okay" he tried to use a calming tone to calm her as much as himself "Do you know who fired?"

"Not yet" but she had a few ideas "Let's just move" she ran round to the jeep drivers door and climbed in, she fired up the engine and kicked it into gear, the jeep making that grinding noise as she did and her passengers cringing as the jeep jerked alive.

.

The other end of the hangar Rachel had slowly come too, as Santana fussed over her. Santana felt her girlfriend tremble

"Santana?" she whimpered. The Latina dropped from her crouch to her knees and carefully raised Rachel's head onto her knees

"It's okay, I'm here" she said comfortingly "I'm going to make sure you're okay"

"It's just a scratch" she forced the word out through gritted teeth, from the burning pain in her side

"Rachel you passed out" she chuckled very lightly at her girlfriends bravery

"No really San..." she heard and felt Rachel move. At the same time she heard shuffling behind her, letting her know Brittany was still there.

Before Santana could ask what Rachel was doing light flooded over them from her left and she could see Rachel reaching across herself with her right hand, and checking her injuries "The arm its a graze" she winced.

"Rachel, stop moving, you might make it worse" Santana complained

"You check then" Rachel groaned as she opened her eyes and had to force them shut again from the light

Santana went to remove Rachel's hoody but hesitated "I-I can't" what if she hurt her even more.

"How's Kurt doing?" Quinn asked as she shut the door to the jeep. She ran past Rachel and Santana to help, helpless Blaine

"He's breathing but unconscious; it looks like he was shot in the shoulder" They could all hear it in Blaine's voice, he was crying, or had been and was holding back more tears

Light then flooded in from the other direction as Puck and Lauren pulled up, Quinn was surprised to see Zises in the other car; she thought she was still in the back of jeep with Tina, Artie, and Beth. That was another point, she hadn't even closed the doors, she looked back to see they were still open. She ran round to the back of the truck to check on her passengers "Are you guys okay?" her eyes flickered over each of the passengers

"Yeah, we're fine" Tina nodded, still holding Beth, who'd become a little fidgety and whiny with all the moving around "Is it bad"

"I don't know yet, yow two stay here okay"

"I'm not going anywhere" Artie said with some humour. Quinn smiled but it was laced with pity, she hated herself for that, and it wasn't that she pitied him for being in the chair, just the suppressed emotional state he was in, believing he was trouble for them. When he wasn't... he really wasn't.

"Okay... sorry to leave you with Beth"

"It's no trouble" Tina reassured her with sincerity "Go help them" she encouraged. Quinn just nodded guiltily; but by helping the others she was helping Beth in the long run, so she figured she shouldn't feel guilty.

"Have you got bandages?" Santana asked frantically "I need bandages"

"Calm down San" Rachel groaned as she tried to sit up "It's a scratch, although Quinn, I-If you can find a bandage from the medical supplies I'd be very appreciative"

"Don't waste your breath Berry" Zises said as she passed a white rolled up bandage in plastic packaging to Santana "Here, you'll want to take her hoody off, wrap the arm first" she looked to Quinn who stood frozen between Santana and Brittany "Quinn, support Rachel while Santana wraps it"

The three girls she'd included in her instructions all stared up at her silhouette like deer caught in headlights... well with the streaming of headlights behind Zises they kind of were

"My mom was a nurse" everyone in the area all picked up on the 'was' in the sentence "she trained while I was in kindergarten, she showed me how to tie the bandages for different things, by practicing on me" they all felt her sadness in her words at a probably fond memory "That doesn't matter right now" she cut back to reality "we just need to cover the wound until we're somewhere safer, so it doesn't get infected" she moved back to Kurt.

"I-I don't know what to do" Blaine stuttered over his unconscious boyfriend

"Puck, get over here" at Laurens command he was abandoning his truck and by her side

"What do you need?" he sounded nervous, only because he assumed he'd have to do something involving the bloody scene in front of his eyes.

"I need you to help lift Kurt so Blaine can pull his hoody off, then we'll bandage him up. Okay?"

"Okay" Puck nodded and took one side of Kurt, On Blaine's count they carefully raised the unconscious boy, cautious to keep his back straight so they didn't stretch anything or cause anymore internal bleeding.

Meanwhile Rachel winced as Quinn tightened the bandage "I'm sorry"

"No it's okay" she reassured the blonde who was kneeling in front of her. Santana was sat behind her propping her up and her bloody hoody lay discarded on the floor next to her. Her t-shirt was still soaked blood red though.

"We need to check her side" Quinn said to Santana

"I may have been shot but I can hear you" Rachel interrupted before Santana could say anything back to Quinn

"I'll keep her propped up, you carefully lift her t-shirt to check the wound" Santana told her best friend. Quinn quirked an eyebrow, the shot was quite high, almost level with the underside of Rachel's breast. Santana could read her old leader and that eyebrow signal in particular was mischievous and a little suggestive "Just don't let those hands wander" she threatened with a smirk, knowing exactly what Quinn was insinuating.

As Quinn carefully pulled the shirt up, supportive Santana thought of something, "Don't lose any of their clothes we've had to remove" she was saying this to the other three working on Kurt too "When we get a chance, soon, we'll need to make sure all the material is there. Then we can be sure there's none in the wound... wouldn't want it getting infected and either of them going into septic shock" well her dad was a doctor and he loved to talk about anything he could at inappropriate times, like family dinners for instance... well when he showed up for family dinners.

"Okay" they heard Blaine call over shakily. Santana spared them a glance; she could see the shiny pool around Kurt's shoulder, and Blaine sitting nearby, Kurt's blooded t-shirt scrunched up in his hand, looking like he had no idea what to do, or was just too hesitant to even innocently touch his boyfriend right now.

"Zises I need another bandage you got anything bigger?" Quinn's voice got Santana's attention again, she was too scared to actually look at where the blood was coming from, luckily she was sitting too close, holding Rachel up, to actually get a clear look at the cut

"Look in the open bag on the back of the truck" Zises called back

Quinn looked up into the worried blue eyes of the girl standing opposite her and asked softly "Britt, can you go look?"

"Okay" she said shakily, making Quinn's heart melt as well as hit her with some guilt for being too preoccupied with another person.

With her cat tucked under her arm she went to Pucks truck and started looking through the open black garbage bag in the back. There were various bandages in the bag and Brittany didn't want to let Quinn down by getting the wrong one, she started panicking, they were all so different, different materials, sizes, and Lord Tubbington really wasn't helping by wriggling under her arm.

She finally got annoyed, the cat wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Quinn, and here he was being uncooperative and a nuisance. She just dropped him into the back of Pucks truck and grabbed the black bag full of bandages taking them all to Quinn.

"Here" she dropped the bag next to Quinn

"Britt I only needed one" she still smiled though "Thank you" she whipped her blooded hand on her own goody before she reached into the bag, she didn't want to contaminate anything but she didn't have enough time to wash her hands properly. She quickly found the bandage she needed when Rachel shakily spoke again

"Where is everyone?"

"Um, Sam, Mike and Finn have got to be round her somewhere" Santana looked out into the dark realising she couldn't actually see anything beyond their spot light

"Britt, you know how to wrap a bandage right?" Quinn asked up at the waiting girl

"Of course I do silly" And yes, she did, Quinn remembered now, when Brittany helped her bandage her arm to help prevent the cat scratches from getting infected. That's when she realised how serious these gunshot wounds were, if they didn't kill them, infection could... And she'd never seen Kurt look _so_ pale.

"Here take over" she passed the bandage to Brittany and guided her down onto her knees next to her. Rachel and Santana looked at the blonde of the short hair curiously, wondering why she'd asked Britt over, could she not do it? She'd bandaged Rachel's arm okay, hadn't she? Now there was reason to worry, was it really bad.

But when they saw Brittany's eyes brighten up at the fact she was helping, they kinda got it. They were a team, and Quinn and Brittany were a couple. Quinn just wanted Brittany to know she mattered and was important, even at a time like this. Besides she was doing a pretty good job.

"We need to get moving again" Quinn muttered as she glanced over at the other 'surgery team'. They were still working on Kurt and he was still out.

"How exactly are we gonna get out of here? We're surrounded" Santana didn't mean to be so negative, she just didn't want to think about

"We need to get everyone together" Rachel's voice was now less tired and strained and more shakily. "Then we can think about how we're going to get out of here" she shivered

"You're cold" Santana noted

"Well it is pretty cold in here" she continued to shiver

"And you're losing Blood Rach" Santana awkwardly held Rachel up with one arm as she shimmied out of her own hoody. Once it was free she offered it to Brittany "can you help me put this on her"

"Yeah" Brittany opened it up and slipped Rachel's arm into one sleeve. Quinn helped too, by threading Rachel's arm into the other sleeve, then keeping it stretched as wide as possible without ripping it, so they could carefully put it over Rachel without irritating her two injuries.

Once the item of clothing was on Rachel couldn't help but chuckle slightly before wincing because of the movement

"What's wrong?" Santana asked right into her ear

"Nothing really... just weird having the unholy trinity working together to take care of me" it hit a nerve in all of them; yeah they never thought they'd see a day where they were with the person they never imagined they'd be with, a day where they were all helping Rachel Berry, and a day where hundreds of zombies were closing in on them. "How are we going to get out of here?" she hoped one of the three had an idea, because she was out of them and nearly out of energy to stay awake too

"Well if we had a tank... and someone who could drive it" Santana chuckled at her plan.

"You never know" Quinn laughed lightly too "There's still a lot of the hangar we haven't checked"

"Don't get my hopes up Q" Santana joked back

"We need everyone together first" Brittany said to include herself, and reinforced Rachel's words from earlier.

"Yeah, that first" Quinn abandoned Rachel's side knowing she was well looked after "Sam, Mike! Where ever the hell you are, get over here!" Quinn's voice echoed round the empty space "Who else isn't here?" she asked to anyone who might answer

"Finn" Brittany said the one word

Oh yeah, how did she forget that one... maybe she was half hoping to forget him right now. They were all thinking it when it came to who fired the gun "Finn!" Quinn called out, feeling stupid, as she hoped he'd just join the group if he could anyway, if she was calling Mike and Sam over.

"CJ" Rachel breathed in reminder. She wanted her pal.

So Quinn called out for the dog too "CJ! Where are you girl" they all heard a bark in reply "CJ!" Quinn called again, but again she just barked

"She might be stuck" Rachel managed through shallow tired breaths

"I'll get her Rach" Santana said softly, even though she didn't want to leave Rachel's side the dog meant too much to not do anything.

"No" a hand on her shoulder stopped her "I'll go" Quinn volunteered "Britt, stay here" she didn't mean to talk to her like she was stupid, but she didn't want her following her and ending up in a less safe predicament, at least there were lots of people here and there was light. She couldn't be sure what lurked in the dark; especially when there was a gun wielding maniac about.

"Q" she was stopped by Zises as she passed Pucks truck; she was reaching into the glove compartment. Quinn glanced back at Kurt, they had bandaged him up, now they needed to move to safety so they could find out the extent of the damage and fix it. "I should have given this to you when you went searchin' after Brittany earlier, but you just ran" she shrugged as she gave her the flash light they'd used the day before

"Thanks" she clicked it on, preparing herself for venturing out into the dark, by herself again.

"CJ" she called again when she got to where she hoped was closer to the dogs location, that's when she heard a smaller bark and a whine right near her making her jump "CJ" she scolded in a harsh whisper "You scared me, now come on girl," she reached out to grab the dog by the plain black leather collar, Rachel had found for her. But as soon as she hooked her hand through the collar the dog tugged her in a different direction. She tried to tug the dog back but CJ was stronger and clawed forward. Quinn just let go and followed instead.

"CJ where are you going?" she wasn't sure why she was bothering, it's not like the dog was going to answer. She followed CJ further from where she wanted to return, until the dog disappeared under a sheet. The sheet was draped over something; a huge vehicle of some sort was all Quinn could guess. She shouldered her gun while waving the torch light over the white sheet "CJ, come out of there" she sighed. The dog walked forward, poking her head out from under the sheet, letting it frame round her face. Quinn couldn't help but chuckle a little at the sight of the panting job "What have you found?"

She answered her own question by pulling the sheet down, almost drowning herself with it. She looked up at the vehicle and smiled as she got an idea "Nice work CJ" she patted the dog on the head.

...

It was no surprise when the great big lummox joined the group. "What happened?" he breathed, tired from running and his heart racing "Oh my god, Rach, I'm so sorry" he said as soon as he saw her on the ground "Oh god Kurt" he saw him too, his voice flooded with dread and fear "Does anyone know who did this?" he looked at Puck and Blain, then to Santana and Brittany, then to Zises who stood in between the two bodies. His gaze then landed again on Rachel who was pale and shivering as her eyes drifted shut before being forced open every few seconds "Who fired?" he asked again looking at the non-wounded.

"We don't know" Puck answered but stared at him, wondering if Finn was really the type of person to try and talk his way out of things. He wasn't a bad guy right, so if he didn't know who fired, then it wasn't him. The boy with the Mohawk just watched, while being there for Blaine and Kurt.

Once Finn got an answer he knelt down next to Rachel "Are you okay?"

"Just leave her Finn, she's cold and tired, and injured, she doesn't need you all over her" Santana wanted to shove him away but she couldn't without moving Rachel.

"Jees Santana, you don't need to snap, I'm just checking if she's okay"

"And Britt and I have got her" she now used a calmer tone for Rachel's benefit

"Please Finn, don't start" Rachel tried, hoping he'd at least listen to her if he cared for her at all

"Rach, Santana's being a bitch; she always ruins everything for us" he tried to explain like a four year old with the puppy dog eyes and the pouting and the constipated frustration look

"She's been here helping with this, and she's not a bitch Finn" she was sick of this, why hadn't she just said he didn't have a chance. He placed his gun down, pointing away from him so it was parallel with Rachel.

"Finn back off, Rachel doesn't need this right now" Santana warned as she kept Rachel hugged loosely but securely and close.

"Please don't fight" Brittany pouted from her space still next to Rachel

"Brittany stay out of this" Finn waved his hand in her direction in a cutting motion as if it would get her to not speak

"Don't talk to her like that" Rachel defended her friend.

"Rach-"

"Wait" Santana stopped their argument when something occurred to her "why did you say you were sorry?"

He screwed up his face in confusion "When did I say that?" he shook his head, not understanding. But why would he say sorry to Rachel, or Kurt?

"When you joined us... you said 'Sorry'" she looked at him over Rachel's head with the most searing curious gaze "... why would you be sorry... unless" she snatched the rifle from the floor next to her, not caring how careless she was being, just like how he didn't care how careless he was being by the way he left it there. She flicked the safety on, then felt the barrel "It's warm" she spat "_You_ fired, you shot them" The headlight lit area plunged into silence

"Finn?" Rachel whimpered "You shot your own brother" funny how she didn't think of herself in the equation erupting in Finn's head, as the guilt ate at his insides. She just thought of Kurt and how shooting him, possibly killing him would be with Finn forever. She'd taken herself completely out of that equation.

He reached out to her "Rach-"

"Get the Fuck away from my Girlfriend" Santana growled, holding one intense fiery stare on him

"Girlfriend?" the tall boy

"Finn get away from them" he heard behind him, Puck was now telling him what to do. Zises stepped up too, taking the rifle away. She didn't want Santana doing something stupid and the gun shouldn't be in Finn's possession

"Dude? You're telling me what to do" why did he sound surprised

"You fucked up" he kept his voice calm, but he was actually hurt. Finn was once his wingman, but he kept screwing up. None of them were perfect, but this guy was a danger to others, and he couldn't protect him even if he tried. "Just step back and don't touch anything"

Finn may have been taller that Puck but the Mohawked boy packed more punch so he stood up and stepped back "You're with her now?" he asked a weary Rachel the best thing he could do was shut up, and instead he was playing the wounded

Rachel said nothing; she just broke eye contact with him and relaxed into Santana's arms. She'd been afraid to rely on her and look so comfortable but now that it was out she could relax and take complete comfort in her girlfriend sitting behind her. That would be answer enough for a normal person. But Finn still looked down at her hurt, more repetitive questions on the tip of his tongue but the death glares and silence from everyone else forced him to keep quiet.

Before this moment could get even more tense and awkward (which no one knew was a possibility) they heard more gun fire, it was even more distant though, like it was in the far corner near the main hangar door. It sounded, and looked from the flashes of light, like it was coming from near the door Rachel had broken into to get in here.

They hear yelling before the gunfire stopped, then nothing...

They all watched that corner, waiting for signs of the next possible disaster. But they heard nothing... occasionally they thought they heard a voice, a yelling of one curse word or another. They simultaneously flinched when they heard closer gun fire then more words

"Sam stop, you can't even see them" that was definitely Mikes voice not too far away in the dark.

"Mike!" Tina stepped out the back of the jeep and called to him "Sam, guys get over here"

Soon mike found Tina in the dark by the back of the jeep as Sam joined the rest of them.

"Oh my god" he looked down at the two injured on the floor with their other halves supporting them, although he didn't know Rachel was with Santana yet "Who did this"

"It doesn't matter"

"Doesn't matter!" he exclaimed "Wait I didn't do this did i? Oh god" he started welling up already, just at the idea

"No, no" Rachel stopped him right there

"It was-"

"It doesn't matter" Santana interrupted Brittany. Of course it did matter, it was one of three things that really mattered right now: Rachel's well fare, Kurt's condition and who caused them to be in these states "It wasn't you" she reassured him of that though. Sam didn't need to blame himself after all he'd been through "What were you firing at"

"Oh right" he swallowed audibly as he was quickly bought back to the reality he'd met a minute ago "They're in, they got in through the damaged door. Mike and I, we tried to barricade it but they got in anyway"

"Oh great" Santana sighed, things couldn't get any worse. "Start getting in the jeep, we'll need to get out of here, even if we just drive over them"

"We'll get swamped" Puck tried to reason

"Well I got nothing else Puckerman" she spat back as she held Rachel close.

An engine at the back of the hangar roared to life like an answered prayer, even if they didn't know it yet. They waited and listened to the rumble as they also kept their eyes peeled for movement for the closing in dead.

They were highlighted by headlights like a spotlight dinner; the darkness around them housed their predator, so they'd just have to wait. Despite all the gun fire so far, it wasn't a good idea to fire blindly into the dark, not with so many cars laying around that most likely had tanks full of fuel.

After the distinct grinding of gears, letting them know Quinn was driving something... and not a person they didn't know existed or a walking dead operating a vehicle, the engine revved and made more noise.

They heard some more grinding noises as the vehicle collided with others, metal scraping against metal, making them all cringe for whatever collectable car was being decimated. Blinding headlights were flicked on making them all shield their eyes with an arm or simply close the tightly as this monster vehicle approached. It slowed and stopped behind Pucks truck, making Pucks car look like a go cart.

"Holy Shit" Sam's eyes widened at what stood before them, while he continued to shield them from the beaming headlights with his forearm. The geek side of him knew what that was; even if to anyone else it was a 6 wheeled truck. He ran straight over while the others were stunned, as soon as he saw the red star on the door his assumptions about the vehicle were confirmed

Yes his geeky side wasn't limited to movies, but some history as well... especially when it included monster vehicles like this.

"Is this a KrAZ-255B?" he asked excited

Quinn left the engine running as she opened the door and jumped down from the cabin, CJ following closely behind. She shrugged at his question as she said "It's a big, Soviet truck". Well at least she knew that much from jut looking at it. Sam on the other hand was sure it was what he said it was.

Quinn got back to the centre of the group to discuss her spur of the moment plan "Right everyone, get back in the jeep, Sam!" she called over her shoulder.

"Yeah?" he managed to pull himself away from the monster in front of him and rejoin the group,

"You drive the jeep" she told him.

CJ soon found her best friends. She sat down next to Rachel and licked at her hand, the brunette smiled at the dog but didn't move her arm to pet her, as it was the injured one

"Sure" there was no point to arguing right now anyway, not matter how much he wanted to drive the big truck right now.

"Everyone else back in the car they were in before except San, Rach, Blaine and Kurt, you'll get in the... big Russian truck" she didn't know what else to call it, Sam was the expert obviously "I'm gonna drive it"

"I can drive it if you want" Finn perked up

"No, I don't want you responsible for our lives" Santana said lowly.

Quinn glanced between the two and decided to cut the tension with a fact instead "I think you're too tall for the cabin Finn" something had obviously gone down in her absence and this wasn't typical Finn pissing possessive Santana off type stuff. "Sam, Puck, can you help us move Kurt into the back of that truck" she asked

The two boys did as they were asked automatically. They picked him up careful of his arm and took him round to the back of the truck. Blaine had wrapped him in a blanket with Pucks help earlier. The back of the truck was covered with a tarp, with small window slots along the sides.

Meanwhile Santana carefully slipped out from behind Rachel, careful to keep a firm hand against her back to keep her sitting up. Kneeling next to her girl she whispered "Hold onto me". With her good arm Rachel wrapped it round the back of Santana, around her neck holding, her hand gripped Santana's shoulder. The Latina slid one arm under Rachel's legs and the other from her back round her side, just above her wound. She slowly stood pulling Rachel close to her so she cradled her.

She carried her bridle style all the way to the back of the truck. Quinn was more than a little shocked when she saw Santana next to her holding Rachel the way she did

"You could have waited" Quinn told her "Puck or Sam could have helped you carry her" she said as the two boys placed the injured one in the bed of the truck.

"No those things are in here, we need to get moving" she kept her voice calm, not wanting to stress anyone out with a panicky or stressed tone.

"Wait they're in! Shit, I guess that's what the noise was a minute ago" she sighed and glanced back at Kurt, they had almost settled him and Blaine was with him. "You could have asked Finn for help"

Santana ground the next words out very lowly "he's not coming anywhere near my girl, ever again"

Before Quinn could ask what had gone down Rachel murmured sleepily into Santana's neck "You're so hot when you talk like that" the other two girls managed to chuckle a little if just for Rachel's sake.

"So, what's the plan?" Puck asked as he dropped down from the back of the truck

"Um" Quinn had to think how was best to put her plan into action "I'll reverse up, Puck do the same. Sam, you follow in the jeep. I'll then go down one of the other lanes between the rows of cars and head to the hangar doors" she explained "now for the big door..."

"I'll jump out the back and get the door switch" Santana volunteered "I'm in the best place to do it anyway"

"You sure?" Quinn checked, she past Santana the flash light too, in case she needed it.

"Yeah, let's just move" she placed Rachel just inside the truck. The girl moved further in before Santana could climb up and help her anyway.

"Okay, keep close, I'm going to use this" she patted the tuck for emphasis "to clear the way for you two" the boys nodded in understanding

As Brittany threw the bag of bandages back she saw her cat looking up at her. Instead of his usual lazy gaze his eyes were bright and shiny, like a certain animated cat in a certain DreamWorks production "I'm sorry" she picked him up and hugged him close "But you got to stop making trouble" she told him

"Come on Britt" Quinn called her over as she was the only one not in the car who hadn't been helping anyone into the back of the one she was going to drive.

"How you holding up Blaine?" Rachel croaked as the truck lurched backwards as it reversed.

He smiled at the girl for still worrying about others "I-" any hope of words died in his throat though. Finally he managed to speak "he's going to be okay right?"

"Yeah, he will Blaine, he has to be" she looked at the unconscious boy sadly as Blaine ran his hand through Kurt's hair. Rachel laughed in her head slightly; Kurt hated his hair being messed up.

Rachel then looked back at Santana "You didn't have to carry me; it's my arm and my side... not my legs"

The hardened expression on the Latina's face softened at the sound of her girlfriend's voice, she then bowed her head as it saddened "I'm sorry I outed us"

"I'm not... not really. I should have been honest in the beginning" she reached out with her good arm, her hand cupping the side of Santana's face, getting her attention and making her look up "Thank you for looking after me"

She took Rachel's hand off her face and held it in her own "How could I not really. Rach, you're my girlfriend now, and I'm always going to take care of you" she kissed her girlfriends knuckles then looked up, and even in the dark she was able to find Rachel's eyes "I love you"

"I love you too" they leant forward to one another only kissing softly for a moment and not caring that Blaine was there as his attention was diverted anyway.

They had so much to deal with before they could relax again, so Santana just held onto her girl and hoped that Quinn's plan of using this old truck as a battering ram might just work. They could deal with the rest of their worries once they were safe again.

**Please let me know what you think...**


	25. Doctor

**Thanks for reviewing the previous chapter: Broadwayfreak5357, Alese222, aquarius127, Musicfutbolfan6, ConfessedGleek16, agd30, SoFlaComet, ShadowCub, A C one, Rediclufied. Espi, Blue-Portrait, TrustInFaith, Lauraluvscasey, xphrnzrjh, amazinglife18, General Mac, J4M3Z XO, xtreme, Jhyena Aj Jax, FaberryBRA, agirl002, vampiretiger, Guest and GypsySoul05**

**Posted: 9/10/12**

Doctor

They didn't stop driving until sunrise. The network of roads hadn't made it easy to get away from the urban area where Quinn had acquired their new truck, but finally they were on wider, straighter roads that lead them away from the denser areas of dead.

At first it had been a struggle, the Z's must have no comprehension of death and pain as they would approach the moving vehicles from all sides, even at the speed they were moving. Quinn had seen many in her side view mirrors get their arms ripped off by getting them caught the giant wheels of the monster, others was knocked down or crushed on impact at the front. It was so gory at one point she made Brittany close her eyes, and as the taller blonde trusted Quinn she did as she was told. The blue eyed girl had also covered Lord Tubbington's eyes with her hand

Santana remembered her mother's Spanish ramblings, giving her advice and direction, and she found if she yelled loud enough she could speak to Quinn who was driving, so she'd been able to tell her they'd be able to stop soon. They had kept travelling north, or as true to north as they knew was north, and they found as Santana's mom had suspected the Zombies stumbling about thinned out, until there were few, then none in their path.

The bumpy ride and the smell of rotting flesh which must have been splattered over the front and underside of the truck, had kept tired injured Rachel awake which was a good thing. Santana had held her, so she was sitting up for most of the ride, she didn't want her falling asleep until she knew the wound was free of anything that could infect her. Luckily they could all be fairly sure there was no possibility of it already being infected by the undead, if not because of how she got the injuries then the fact that many hours had passed and she hadn't turned.

That thought alone sent shivers of dread through Santana. It had been an almost hour, they guessed, since they last saw a Z, so Quinn was just spotting a house that didn't look damaged for them to stay in, just for a few hours so they could fix up Kurt and Rachel

Santana sat on Rachel's uninjured side, her knees pulled up to her own chest as Rachel leant into her side, her head resting on Santana's shoulder as the taller girl wrapped her left arm round Rachel's shoulder. Because of Rachel's injuries Santana was carful where her arm touched her girlfriend not wanting to cause more pain.

CJ put space between her and Rachel as she sat on her master's other side. The distance she kept gave Santana and anyone else who cared or wasn't too tired to notice, the impression that she knew exactly where Rachel was hurt.

The Latina spared Blaine and Kurt a glance, Blaine looked so helpless as he clutched at Kurt's bloody clothes in one hand and Kurt's own hand on the uninjured side, with his other. Kurt was still unconscious; Santana just hoped they'd make it somewhere safe so they could try to help him, before it was too late.

And this silence they sat in only made it worse, it let Santana's mind process and stew everything, but mostly Finn, the harm he caused and what were they going to do with him. She imagined is she asked around, they would all have their different ideas, some might even offer his sorry life as Zombie bait as a distraction. It would be easy, they'd just shoot him in the knee caps and leave him while they made a smooth get away... Santana knew she would suggest that if no one else would, she wouldn't even feel guilty, she still had guilt from other things moving around in her mind, Finn wasn't worth the time or effort.

...

Quinn had finally found a place she felt comfortable setting up a temporary base; the house she'd chosen was small, and simply placed, in the middle of a street like many others they'd seen. It looked undisturbed; so it fit the profile for a temporary base. Also being small meant there was less area to cover when searching to check it was clear. She swerved the heavy truck across the road then reversed up the front yard of the chosen house. That way it was a shorter distance to get the injured from the truck to the door and quicker to get them back in the tuck, in case they had to leave.

Santana heard the opening and slamming shut of one of the truck's doors before Quinn showed up at the open back end of the truck, while the other vehicles parked up either side of them

"I'm going to check the house then we'll get Rachel and Kurt inside and start patching them up"

"Okay" Santana nodded, Blaine nodded too while the injured were silent, Rachel from tiredness and Kurt for obvious reasons. "I'll help" she volunteered.

"If you're sure" Quinn definitely didn't mind having someone by her side

"Yeah" she nodded as she carefully slipped away from Rachel. She didn't want to release her and lay her down on the hard metal bed of the truck but in the long run she was helping Rachel either way. "I'll be back in minute" she kissed the top of Rachel's head. Santana would have also liked to give her her jacket or hoody as a blanket... but she'd already given her the hoody back in the ware house and she was freezing cold right now on top of that.

.

With Finn's rifle in her arms, which she'd permanently confiscated from him, Santana led Quinn round to the side of the house. She looked through the kitchen window, it looked empty

"How are we getting in then?" Quinn murmured over her shoulder

"Um" Santana looked round her feet, for a possible projectile. She quickly gave up on that and used the butt of the rifle to smash the window in. When she swung the gun back over her shoulder she noticed the glare she was getting "What?"

"That's not exactly a secure place to break in, is it?"

The Latina rolled her eyes "It's a small window, and we'll leave someone on guard in the kitchen" she added the second thing as a compromise "It's how me and Rach broke into that house you found us in... how did you get in?"

"Upstairs, got Zises to give me a boost" she shrugged

"Speaking of" Santana got down on one knee

"No offence San, but you're not my type" the blonde joked

Santana cupped her hands and rolled her eyes again "Just get in there Blondie"

Quinn wanted to argue, god knows what was in there, but she didn't see the point of trying to argue with Santana at a time like this. So she conceded and put her foot in Santana's hands to get some height. She was then able to pull herself through the higher than average window. As she placed her foot down it immediately found a sink full of cold dish water "eww". She took her foot out shook it, hopelessly ridding it of some of the water.

"What?" Santana said from outside

"Nothing" she called back, it was hardly important

"Good, let me in" The Latina commanded, making Quinn just roll her eyes again. She went over to the kitchen door that led onto the back terrace; it didn't take her long to find a key in one of the vases lined up on the kitchen side near the door. It was a dusty key, so it must have been a spare. She unlocked the door and Santana was soon inside

"What took you so long?" the darker haired girl asked

"Don't tell me you were scared of being outside alone?" Quinn teased

"Whatever" and with that uttered word both girls knew Quinn was right "Let's just move"

Quinn started toward the other kitchen door, Santana followed until her foot slipped in something wet on the floor "Eww Q, did you piss yourself?"

"What, No!" she looked down to what her friend was looking at and noticed the water on the floor "There was dishwater in the sink" she pointed over to the sink under the window "My foot went in when I climbed through" she explained

"Was it cold?" Santana asked, with a more serious expression.

"Yeah" Quinn nodded while her eyebrows creased in curiosity "What are you thinking?"

"People might still be here"

"I think there was a plate still in there, they might have fled" Quinn bit her lip with worry. She really didn't want to responsible if someone got hurt just because she chose for them to stop here.

"Let's just check the house, then we can get Rach and Kurt in. You go upstairs, I'll do down here, meet back at the front door" Santana suggested. She wasn't just commanding now, Quinn assumed it was the mention of Rachel that had suddenly softened her.

.

Quinn ran down the stairs after she heard the loud familiar echoing below her. As she got to the living and dining room she was confused. Where was Santana?

She flinched when a door, that she thought was just a closet, and Santana walked out, flicking the safety back on, on the rifle

"What happened? I heard gunshots, are you okay?"

"I'm fine" Santana said dismissively as she firmly shut the door behind her "just make sure no one goes down stairs"

"Why what's down there?"

"You don't want to know" those words and how surprisingly pale Santana looked right now. She didn't want anyone to know about the man with the meat clever sticking out of his head who'd killed his wife and two children

"Okay... well I checked upstairs, there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. No Z's or uninfected were up there" Quinn informed her

"There are two small bedrooms down there. I wanna put Rachel in one, and then I'll check her over. You make sure you get some sleep, I want us on the road again in a couple of hours"

"What if Kurt's condition is too serious for him to move?"

"Those things will be getting nearer by nightfall... he doesn't have a choice"

Quinn just nodded in understanding "Let's get them in here then"

.

Quinn let Santana take Rachel to one of the downstairs smaller bedroom so she could sort out her injuries. She made CJ wait outside, knowing the excitable dog might get in the way, or she might be carrying anything that could cause Rachel infection while her injuries were exposed.

She led her girlfriend to the single bed, Rachel laid down immediately "Don't sleep yet Rach, I need to check your arm and side" she didn't want to jolt her from her sleep by accidentally hurting her. "Sorry baby I need you to sit up too"

"Okay Tana" Rachel mumbled as she was helped to sit up.

Santana then peeled the hoody off, Rachel ended up helping her with her free uninjured arm. She then un-wrapped the bandages from round Rachel's middle. "I think I'm gonna give you some antibiotics, I don't want this getting infected"

"Okay" she was too tired from the whole ordeal to really care or focus on what she was saying, but she trusted Santana

In the better light Santana was able to see what Rachel had tried to tell her in the hangar, they were deep scratches, catches in the skin and tissue from the bullet; there was no through and through. With that Santana was able to conclude that none of Rachel's t-shirt had been dragged into a wound, because there was no enclosed wound for it to get stuck in.

The rounds must have hit Rachel before she knocked Santana down otherwise they would have hit her too.

"I'll rewrap these first, in clean bandages" she'd bought all the equipment except the antibiotics in the room before she'd bought Rachel into the house. As Santana automatically cleaned the wounds and re-wrapped them her mind wandered.

Santana couldn't believe Rachel's luck, then her own. They couldn't be sure how many shots had been fired in the dark, but Santana hadn't been hit and Rachel only scratched, technically. Of course none of them should have been shot at all.

The raven haired girl calmed the rising anger within her at those thoughts and reminded herself of the relief she was feeling before, Rachel was hurt but she could live. As long as she didn't get infected, and Santana would make sure she didn't.

"San" her girl murmuring got her attention back "I'm not sure I can stay awake much longer... can I sleep?" her voice was exhausted as she fought to keep her eyes open

"Let me put your hoody back on"

"You make me sound like a baby" she pouted

"Not a baby, just someone very special to me" she put Rachel's arms through the sleeves separately before slipping it over her head. She then helped Rachel to lie down, whether she wanted the help or not. Santana smiled down at her fondly, she stroked the top of Rachel's head soothingly as she said softly "You can sleep now"

"Love you" the words were said so sleepily but still meant the world

"Love you too" she whispered before slipping out of the room. She nearly fell over the dog that she found lying across the doorway. CJ didn't even bat an eyelid as Santana glared down with her. Her eyes slowly looked up to meet the Latina's "You can see the patient now" the old Santana wouldn't have talked to a dog, but the Santana that had the heart of Rachel Berry would do anything for that girl, even talk to their dog. She pushed the door open for CJ to walk in "Just not on the bed" she warned.

"Doctor Lopez" Mike's shy voice sounded from the end of the slim hallway that had led her to the room she'd put Rachel in and the one opposite where Quinn was trying to sleep

"I'm not a doctor" she scoffed, but a sinking feeling in her stomach told her she had been volunteered for something. She met Mike at the end and was also met with some sort of make shit operating room "What are you guys going?"

"Well we got Nurse Zises" Puck started "Now we need doctor Lopez"

"I cleaned round the wound" The bigger girl said from next to Kurt. They had him on his back, on the dark oak dining room table

"I'm not a doctor guys" Santana was genuinely scared and not afraid to admit it, this was serious stuff going down, she couldn't just put on a brave face "just cos my dad works in hospitals doesn't mean I have a clue"

"You've done pretty well so far, and I bet my truck you know what at least half the meds in that bag over there are for" he pointed to the medical case that was on a lower table next to the 'operating table'. Sam had thought to move the coffee table there so they could use it.

She let out a shaky sigh; did they have any other options? Probably. Did they have time to figure out what they were? Probably not. "Where were the clothes he was wearing last night?"

"Here" that was the most positive Blaine had sounded since the shooting. He held the scrunched up item in his hand. Santana took them quickly and spread them out over a corner of the table near Kurt's feet.

"Okay, I think there's a piece of both the shirt and the hoody missing" she bit her lip anxiously; she looked over at the group round the table. Artie, Sam, Tina, Mike and Blaine all stood one side away from the injury Zises was by Kurt's head leaving the side open for Santana to take the stage "This is crazy" she murmured through clenched teeth

"Well" Zises offered her a pair of tweezers, it was all they had. When they'd raided the hospital performing a surgery wasn't what they'd had in mind for what they'd need. So tweezers it was. The rest of the group stood there expectantly.

She noticed Finn sitting on the sofa across the room, his head in his hands. It must have finally hit him, what he'd done. She also realised Brittany was missing, she wouldn't want her friend witnessing this anyway, and she could just assume she was with Quinn, even in that tiny bed she was sure they'd sleep well, and only sleep. Britt sure did love a cuddle.

But none of that mattered, Kurt lay in front of her, dying, lets face it, and they were all waiting for her to do something.

As the final thought of dread and worry was forced from her mind she stepped up and took those tweezers "You sterilised them right?"

"Duh" was the intellectual response she got at a time like this.

...

Shuffling from besides her bed woke Rachel. She smiled realising it was CJ and CJ was probably shuffling because Santana was back and sneaking closer, which would explain the other shuffling she could now hear from the door. She looked over her shoulder towards the door and was startled but not surprised to find Finn standing there watching her

"What do you want Finn?" she sighed, slowly sitting up as she couldn't lay on her left side and face him, that's where the injuries were.

"Why Santana?" the words immediately dropped from his mouth while he wore that puppy dog expression

"Oh here we go" Rachel muttered under her breath.

"I just don't get it, I mean it's Santana, she's even worse to you that Quinn and Puck was. So why her?" in his rambling he'd got closer to the bed, despite CJ's low growling. He obviously didn't see that as a warning.

"I just..." A smile laced its way onto her lips and her eyes brightened as she thought about it "I just love her"

"But why? What is it about her?" was this an interrogation now? He was still pouting so maybe interrogation was the wrong word.

"I-I don't really know... I just do, I mean she's hot" she shrugged

"I'm being serious Rach, we shared so much... I was your first" what sort of card was that to play?

"And she was your first" she then huffed a sarcastic laugh "But you actually hurt me more for sleeping with her than when you took my virginity"

"Rach-"

"No, in fact, I think you sleeping with her, hurt more than you shooting me"

"Rach-"

"And stop calling me 'Rach' it's Rachel, I only reserve 'Rach' for friends or my girlfriend"

"But Rachel this is ridiculous, you're just doing this to get at me" he snapped. CJ's growling should have been off putting for anyone, it was comforting to Rachel because she wasn't the one being growled at, Finn however didn't react the way most people would, he just seemed to glare at the dog.

"No Finn, contrary to your popular belief this is nothing to do with you. I care greatly for Santana, I love her, and nothing you say is going to change that"

"You can't care for her! And she can't care for you, she's a slut who doesn't know how to feel" CJ's growl grew making Rachel worry for the dog and the boy in her room

"CJ" Rachel said soothingly as she patted the dog on the head. The girl then grabbed the dogs collar and led her to the door forcing her out "Stay" she commanded more sternly. The dog let out a deflated moan and dropped to the floor on her stomach.

"Look Finn, you don't have to understand it, but at least try and respect it"

.

Mean while in the 'operating theatre' Santana was doing her best. They'd used the wrecked clothes as a map, using the pieces she found in the wound like puzzle pieces. Together they were complete and she had a rough idea of if she'd got all the cloth out.

"The bullet that hit him must have ricocheted off something else; it wasn't fast enough to shatter the bone... but it is fractured"

"Is that bad?" a voice trembled form the opposite side of the table

"Just be thankful it wasn't a shot gun wound, which would have been a hell of a lot messier" Santana's attempt at a comforting comment didn't go so well as she saw just how fragile Blaine still was.

Zises was the saviour as she started talking again "We can strap the arm, keep an eye on it and be fragile with him. He'll need to be on antibiotics... maybe penicillin, I'm not an expert. And that's all hoping we got all the t-shirt out of the wound"

Santana looked down at the case of meds "Is he allergic to penicillin?" they all looked to Blaine for an answer

"I don't know" Blaine said shakily "It's not exactly come up in conversation-" he continued in panic

"It's okay" Santana said calmingly

"What do we do?" Mike asked over her shoulder

Santana looked down at the arrangement of meds they had. There wasn't much of each of the different antibiotics. What if they needed them for someone else? "We'll use it anyway. I know a load of the symptoms, if he's allergic we'll switch to another antibiotic" she looked over at Blaine again "is that okay"

"Yeah" he choked the word out with a jittery nod of the head "just do what you have too"

...

As Santana strolled closer to the door, ready for a pleasant nap next to her girlfriend, she heard voices from inside the room. She froze instinctively to hear what was being said. She wasn't surprised when she heard Finn's voice.

"Just think about it, you and me together again. And with things the way they are, the world is our clam"

She was about to burst through the door and put a stop to whatever he was trying to accomplish but a part of her kept her glued to the spot. She wanted to hear what Rachel had to say.

"Oyster" she heard her girl friend correct him before continuing "and no thank you, San has already made a speech more worthy of any amount of words. And whatever happens to me, to the world I don't care, as long as I have her"

Santana couldn't help but grin at that, she knew she shouldn't be listening in, Rachel wasn't in the state to argue with someone but the Latin's curiosity was getting the better of her. She'd step in when it was time.

"You don't get it do you?" Finn asked, not realising the irony in his question

"What don't I get?"

"You don't get that what I feel for you is real, not what she feels, she just wants sex"

Maybe now Santana should step in... no she wanted to hear Rachel, she wanted to know what Rachel really felt.

"If she wanted sex she would have made a move sooner. How can that be all she wants when we only got together a couple of days ago, not two weeks ago when we first shared a room, when we shared a bed. She loves me and I love her, more than I have ever loved anyone or anything"

The eaves dropper's heart swelled

"What about me? What we had was special" his voice broke, showing his true emotion not just bitter confusion.

"Yes Finn... what we had _was_ special, and I'll always remember it with some fondness. But it's over, it died with everything we know, and I've moved on" inside the room he tried to take both of her hands in his, but something flipped within the short brunette

It was his touch, his murderous touch. If Kurt died she didn't know what she'd do to Finn, or have to do to him for the sake of the other survivors.

She tore her hands away and stepped back towards the bed "Finn, if you don't get away from me right now, I'm going to set my bitch on you... and I don't mean CJ"

Outside the room Santana took that as her cue, she forced the door open abruptly, making the people inside flinch. She was even more annoyed to find Rachel standing when she was supposed to be resting "So I'm your bitch now?" she said with her eyebrows raised mischievously

"San, I-I'm sorry" Rachel started, she bit her lips and with those shiny eyes Santana had easily forgiven her in a heartbeat.

But with a smile she waved it off. "Finn what is your problem?"

"You're turning her against me!" he yelled

"You're paranoid" she accused "Rachel is a grown up, she makes her own decisions, I didn't turn her against you" she tried to explain as she stepped between her girlfriend and Finn. He stepped away, almost as if he was repelled like a magnet from being near this Latina. "And if she feels anything against you it's for your pure idiotic actions; the house letting the zombies in, firing into the dark, shooting her and your brother, and then feeling nothing"

"I'm scared!" he snapped at her with that like it was a reasonable excuse

"We're all scared Finn" she yelled back, she started to stalk forward like a predator, sick of his whining and trying to get her girlfriend .

"I can't deal with it, it's too much" he started backing up his throat felt exposed so he gulped audibly "Do I feel bad for what's happened to Rachel and Kurt, hell yeah I feel like shit, but it's happened and there's nothing I can do about it now"

"You could be supportive of Blaine" Santana suggested as she waved her hand to the doorway "You could go easier on Rach, she doesn't need this bullshit right now she needs to rest"

"I can't let her until she sees the truth" there was no escaping he was backed up against the window now. Santana stopped just in front of him, giving her enough space to see a punch coming a mile away if he tried to swing one.

"The only truth you're allowing her to see is what an ass you are, so why don't you get out of this room and give her five minutes of peace"

"Why don't you?" he retorted like a four year old

"Please Finn" Rachel sighed, she leant her front against Santana's back, she was tired and cold and she wanted to be supportive as well as wanted the support "Just stop, nothing you can say is going to change anything"

"But Rach, I still lo-"

They all flinched as pale hands burst through the window behind Finn. Too stunned and taken by surprise the hands snatched and grabbed at Finn's jacket

"No" he shrieked out as he stumbled back to their wanting arms.

Rachel shrieked before taking action she leapt forward to grab Finn but at the same time Santana grabbed Rachel's arm, keeping her away. She quickly volunteered herself instead reaching out for one of Finn's flailing hands.

"Finn!" she yelled trying to get him to pull himself away and reach for her hand. She didn't want to get too close, in case they grabbed her too. She hadn't lost her senses yet, well not for Finn.

"Help" he yelped stretching out, just as another pale arm slipped its way round his neck "Help" his voice became more strangled

She managed to grasp his hand and pulled him with desperateness. Talking about letting someone die and it actually happening were two very different things

"No Finn!" Rachel shrieked diving forward to help but Santana released one hand of Finn's arm to shove Rachel away. The injured girl fell back onto the bed, Santana would apologise for that in a minute.

Sam and Quinn were through the door next, they abandoned their weapons in favour of grabbing Finn, there was no clear shot anyway as the tall boys frame covered most of the broken window

"No, no" Finn kept repeating as they were losing the struggle. As his top half slipped out of the window on a sea of walking dead. Quinn and Santana each grabbed one of his legs as he was carried, while Sam went for his gun.

He raised the shot gun

"Shoot them Sam!" Rachel yelled in panic, though he barely heard her over Finn's screaming

"I'll hit Finn!" he tried to explain, there was no clear shot there were only 5 or 6 of those things out there and Finn was blocking the shot to all of them

More hands clawed at him as he screamed and yelled "No" his head was shaking from side to side as he watched each hand claw away his hoody and his plaid shirt underneath until both were completely torn open

The cold, rotting fingers of the dead started clawing over the bare skin of his stomach. One of the dead's heads appeared, Sam raised his gun again ready to take a chance shot but it was too late as the female dead with the blood matted blonde hair and cloudy eyes bit down into the exposed part of his neck.

It bit down hard, making blood drip from its mouth; it then tore its mouth away, a piece of Finn's neck still in its jaws. Blood spurted from the open wound while Finn's screaming became more gurgled.

Rachel shrieked helplessly at the scene in front of her and realising it was too late Santana abandoned her rescue mission. She dropped Finn's struggling leg in favour of holding Rachel close, keeping her girlfriends face in her shoulder to prevent her from seeing the boy be torn apart.

Sam and Quinn seemed to refuse to give up though, Sam took the free leg Santana had given up and still tried to pull Finn free. He was already gone though, despite kicking and screaming, and trying to free his arms from their clutches it was over in this 2 against 6, maybe 7, tug of war

The walking dead finally clawed their way through skin and like tearing through a stretchy plastic bag they pried their way into Finn's abdomen. Many hands reached in, all pulling at the organs inside, pulling out what looked like intestines. Finn's screams still echoed beyond that but surely not for much longer.

The pale, blood covered, hands all reached up for the victorious hands that held the blooded organs and pulled at them. The intestines and tissue were stretched and argued over flicking blood everywhere. Quinn and Sam cringed as they felt it splatter their clothes and faces. They also realised Finn's screaming had stopped.

They suddenly found themselves stumbling backwards, Quinn landing on her backside on the floor. She instinctively shuffled herself away from the broken window before a Z could touch her. It took Sam and Quinn a second to realise they were both still holding one of Finn's legs still clad in each leg of his jeans, that had been ripped free when the Z's had taken him away.

They dropped them with a little shaken yelp of their own.

"W-we should get out of here" Sam gulped audibly before tearing his widened eyes away from the window and the horror just outside

"Uh-yeah" Quinn scrambled to stand and followed the blonde boys lead as they ran from the room. Santana dragged Rachel with her as they followed,

"C'mon CJ" Santana told the dog who had been waiting in the hallway to follow and follow she did.

Quinn grabbed Brittany's hand, Mike and Tina were behind them, Blaine and Puck had Kurt. With all the screaming it didn't take an idiot to realise they would need to run again.

As Quinn, Brittany and Lord Tubbington (who the blue eyed girl hadn't let go of since they'd got in the truck at the hangar) climbed in the truck they heard gun fire from the side. Quinn looked out, from the height she sat at she could see over the army type jeep to her side and could see Mike and Tina firing at one of the Z's that had wandered from the group feasting on Finn.

Inside Sam was wheeling Artie toward the door. Artie yanked the hand brake on forcing them both to an abrupt stop, "Sam, just leave me" it took time to get him in and out of the damn trucks he didn't want Sam hurt or dead for trying to help him

"Not happenin' bro" he grabbed Artie's arms and put them on his own shoulder, with more protesting from the wheel chair bound boy he threw him over his shoulder and ran for the door, chair-less.

Santana shielded Rachel's side so she wouldn't see where Finn's remains were being argued over.

As they were climbing into the back of the monster vehicle Puck was jumping out to go to his own truck when he stopped to help. "San get in, I'll help Rachel, I'll pass her up to you" The Latina nodded and climbed in, she then lowered her hands to take Rachel's outstretched ones "Sorry Rae" Puck said lowly in her ear as he held her just above her hip, trying to mind her injury as he lifted her.

She winced immediately for both her arm and side but didn't complain. Soon she was in Santana's arms again and they were both thanking the Mohawked boy before he disappeared again. CJ hopped up behind them and quickly settled.

The cars grumbled to life as Sam climbed in and placed Artie on the back, Mike had taken the responsibility of driving, Finn had been their driver on their way here. It was weird how quickly this car had become so empty. Only a few hours before there had been 12 of them crammed into the car (including two animals) and now there was only 4 of them.

With the other two vehicles pulling away Mike did too, forgetting the back doors were still open

"Wait" Sam yelled as he started towards the door "Artie's chair, it's still in the house"

"We haven't got time" the boy who's chair it was told him, encouraging Mike to keep going too. Tina secured the doors, using her rifle to hook them and pull them closer so she could shut them properly. "You saved my life Sam, that's more than enough"

"We weren't going to leave you there Artie" Tina sounded hurt that her ex would ever think such a thing.

He nodded but said nothing, afraid that if he pushed he'd manage to reveal any other negative feelings they might feel about him. The truth was they didn't, but he didn't know that, he felt useless and out of place in their suddenly changed world.

But that's just how they all felt.

**So... Finns finally dead**

**Let me know what you think**


	26. Shaken

**Thanks for reviewing: Broadwayfreak5357, A C one, anon, aquarius127, Blue-Portrait, WankySnixx2124, TrustInFaith, quintin grey, xtreme, MysticFalls94, ShadowCub, Chopin44, TheChosenSlayer5by5, sdmwd1115, Zippy, cressey, General Mac, SoFlaComet, FaberryBRA, ILoveDobbyAndDucks, agd30, JustLilo NSI, J4M3Z XO, Jhyena aj Jax, Alese222, ThePezberryExperience93, amazinglife18, On-Eno, ConfessedGleek16, Amazed, agirl002, Syanyde, Princesakarlita411, Guest, charisma28, Pezberry Love-Child46, Foreversmile, pgcarbyangus, Kazehana Sora, BrokenDreams03, TheTimeTravelingNinja, Guest, LynDraven, xtreme (again), SleepingKittens, MidnightGrimKnight, Rawr, guest, Raven Wolfbird, rainbowsandcottoncandies, ForeverGleek242, Mrs Mayor Of Dogsville, zuperkt, cmclean1994 and IWantCandy**

**Now for an important point raised by Syanyde, Alese222, and TheTimeTravelingNinja ... I FORGOT ABOUT BETH! O_O I can't believe I forgot to write her into the previous chapter! She was there though :/ just imagine... um... Brittany has her now... so yeah, I'm so... what's the word... stupid, forgetful, moronic? I dunno, you pick. **

**Anyway, sorry for the really long wait, here's the next chapter**

**Posted: 16/3/13**

* * *

><p><span>Shaken<span>

They decided to not stop for a while. They thought they'd been safe at the previous location but they were wrong and they'd lost Finn. So Quinn, who was still driving the leading vehicle decided to keep going until she couldn't keep her eyes open. She had made a mental note to stop for fuel too. Meanwhile sleep was the last thing on her mind, she had the images from earlier stuck in her mind.

In the back of the old soviet truck Santana sat with Rachel cuddled into her side. They both sat with their backs to the cabin holding the driver, their knees pulled to their chests. Santana had an arm carefully wrapped round the injured girl. They sat in silence, Santana believed from her steady breathing and silence and the fact she was supposed to be napping when they had to make a quick escape, that Rachel was asleep. She wasn't though, she couldn't get Finn being torn limb from limb from her head.

Neither could Santana... or anyone else who had seen it happen. Santana felt guilty though, guilty for backing him up to that window, guilty for giving up on saving him when Quinn and Sam didn't, guilty for letting Rachel see that, and guilty that she felt bitter sweet about him being gone.

He'd done so much wrong, harmed Rachel and Kurt and endangered everyone else's lives. But even so, was it really fair for him to die. He was finally out of the picture, not there to stand in Santana's way with Rachel anymore... but he was dead, torn limb from limb by Zombies...

"San?" Rachel murmured sleepily

"I thought you were asleep" Santana's voice was scratchy and tired

"No... I can't" she told her girlfriend.

"Yeah... I get that" she gave Rachel the gentlest of squeezes, just to remind herself that she was still there, she still had Rachel. She felt the smaller girl start to shake "What's wrong? Are you cold?" the uninjured girl asked, ready to sacrifice her own hooded sweat shirt for her girlfriend, before she remembered she already had.

"No, no, I think it's the adrenaline" she analysed. After fleeing the last place and seeing what happened to Finn she'd been on such a high, a panicked anxious high

"You okay?" Santana mumbled, knowing ut was a stupid question. She watched Blaine further down the truck bed, Kurt still quiet, as his boyfriend just watched over him. Santana really hoped he'd wake from the shock soon, once the antibiotics had got into his system and started working... otherwise Santana really had no idea what to do.

"Yeah... I was just thinking" she mumbled, as if she was still wandering through her thoughts "We don't talk"

Santana just furrowed her brow, that wasn't what she thought would come from Rachel's mouth "What do you mean?"

"Well we've talked about us, how we feel and... we've kissed and, well you know but... we don't talk, like getting to know each other" she'd talk and talk to Finn, knowing it was going in one ear and out the other. She wasn't comparing Finn and Santana though, she was just thinking, she'd talk to him all the time whether he listened or not, but she hadn't really had chance to with Santana, not about the normal things...

"Okay, we have time now" Santana suggested softly "what should we talk about?"

CJ stirred on Rachel's other side, her eyes looking up from the floor at her master. Once she saw Rachel was moving she was able to settle again. Santana smiled to herself, knowing she wasn't the only one looking out for Rachel so closely.

"Just general things" she muttered as she tried to think of something. Santana felt the girl chuckle dryly before she asked "Like, what's your favourite colour?" she looked up slightly to her girlfriend

Santana just scoffed "I don't know" she looked down to Rachel, meeting her eyes "Um, brown" she decided

"Brown?" Rachel grimaced "why would you like the colour brown?"

"It's the colour of your eyes..." she pressed her lips to the side of Rachel's head and kissed her gently "and your hair" she mumbled against Rachel

"San" the girl playfully scolded for not answering the question properly.

"What's your favourite colour?" the raven haired girl asked back.

"Really? You couldn't come up with a better question than that?" her voice was still tired and quiet but playful all the same

"Fine" Santana sighed and rolled her eyes as she tried to think "Tell me something about you... not a normal thing, just a little thing"

Silence filled the truck, just the rumble of the engine and the tarmac and dirt beneath the monster tires. The Rachel answered sleepily, keeping her head nestled against Santana's shoulder "... I have a fear of clowns"

"Coulrophobia" Santana simply uttered

"Huh? What's that?"

"That's what you call the abnormal fear of clowns" She informed her girlfriend with that little bit of knowledge.

"Oh there's nothing abnormal about it" Rachel assured her before starting a long missed ramble of words "When I was 12 a hobo clown groped my breast at a birthday party and made this old timey honking noise while he did it, apparently making it funny makes it okay."

Santana felt a little sick at that, she wasn't even sure what she was supposed to say. After a moment of silence she just said "If it's any consolation the sick bastards probably dead now"

"San" Rachel chastised lightly "... yeah that does make me feel better"

"Ooh you are dark Rachel Berry" she teased lightly, only to get an eye roll and a nudge in the ribs with Rachel's good elbow. She still held her girl comfortably tight though and chuckled softly, with contentment for the moment they were in.

.

Back in the cabin, Brittany noticed how Quinn was rigid, her mouth tightly shut while she breathed heavily through her nose, her nostrils flaring slightly as she did. A cold sweat had formed on her forehead and Brittany wasn't even sure if Quinn had blinked in the past 5 minutes at least.

"Quinn?"

The one word jolted her from her daydream... although it was more of a waking night mare. She had the steering wheel gripped so tightly her knuckles were white. She welcomed the feel of the worn leather covered steel of the old vehicles steering wheel, favouring it over the memory of the feel of Finn's heavy torn limb. Her stomach turned at the very recent memory

Brittany was just relieved Beth was asleep and so was Lord Tubbington, it was hard enough trying to talk to Quinn without having to soothe anyone else

"Y-Yeah Britt?" she stuttered as she tried to keep calm. She wasn't coming down from her adrenaline rush yet so she wasn't getting those jitters like Rachel, she just had to drive

"The fuel gauge is low... we need to stop for gas" she said gently

Quinn glanced down to see in the fading daylight that Brittany was right "We'll stop at the next gas station" it had been a while on the winding roads since they'd last seen one so hopefully there would be another soon.

"Okay" Brittany just agreed. She was hesitant when she asked again "Quinn?"

"Yeah Britt" she managed without a stutter this time.

"Are you okay?" she asked timidly

"Uh-huh" Quinn uttered dismissively

"Qu-"

"Oh god Britt" Quinn's walls crumbled, tumbled too fast "I tried so hard, so hard and his leg, oh god" she was as pale as a ghost "I couldn't- he just went and then I'm on the floor, I can still smell his blood" she looked like she was going to throw up as she finally started trembling. Smelling his blood wasn't surprising seeing as there was some on the side of her face and in her hair

The blue eyed girl reached out and with Beth still cradled in one arm gently placed a free hand on Quinn's shoulder "Quinn please pull over her" Brittany asked softly.

Just as they rounded the bend in the road Quinn, through watery eyes, and Brittany spotted a gas station only a few yards ahead "Okay" Quinn agreed, assuring her girlfriend she would pull over.

"Once we fill up the tank I think I should drive" Brittany was trying to do a smart thing, to take care of the most important person in her life and the child resting on her lap

"No Britt-"

"Quinn, you're tired, you need to rest" Brittany tried to be strong in her voice too. "I know where we're going. North, right?" she asked simply

"Yeah" Quinn glanced with a smile at the other girl before looking forward again in time to line the vehicle up with the gas pump. She set the handbrake and cut the engine, leaving the headlights on to stream out into the fading day lit space in front of them

"You can hold Beth and I can drive and if I get lost you just tell me where to go" Brittany reminding Quinn she could hold her Beth definitely sweetened the idea. They hadn't had much time to bond again as hopefully mother and daughter since before the hospital.

"Britt- I-I don't know, I said I'd drive" That's the plan in her head, she _couldn't_ let people down, she never wanted to let anyone down, before the end of the world or now after, in their new beginning.

"I want to help you Quinn, you keep looking after me and lord Tubbington, but what about you?"

"I'm fine" she said quickly and dismissively.

"You were crying a second ago and now you sound like you're getting angry"

Her tone immediately softened "I'm not angry I just... I-"

"You like to be in control" See Brittany wasn't stupid. In fact she could be a little sneaky and crafty when she wanted to be. She still held slumbering Beth to her as she shuffled in her seat closer to Quinn "Well I got news for you Quinn, I like to be on top" she said lowly as her lips got closer to the other blondes ear "And I topped Santana Lopez nearly every time so you better be careful"

That sent a shiver down the hazel eyed girls back and made her swallow thickly

.

Feeling the truck lurch Santana grabbed her rifle from the corner of the truck next to where she sat "We're stopping" she noted obviously. Once the truck was steady she stood up and cautiously removed herself from round her girlfriend.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked worried. The shake in her voice made Santana re think what she was doing. She wanted to protect Rachel. Where would she better doing that? By the girls side, or outside helping with whatever needed help with. Unfortunately her gut said: leave Rachel.

"Just seeing what's happening" she knelt back down in front of Rachel and kissed her chastely on the lips "I'll be okay"

"You better be" she tried menacingly. Santana just smiled at the sleepy girl with the dark rings under her eyes. She still looked beautiful to Santana.

"I will, I'll be right back before you know it" she added gently before turning away and making her way to the back of the truck. She tip toed cautiously round bandaged up Kurt who was still unconscious. Santana noticed how he seemed to have more colour in his skin, she hoped that was a good thing. The surprisingly caring girl squeezed Blaine's shoulder as she stepped round him. He reached up and placed his hand momentarily over hers to show his gratitude in the simplest way, before her hand slipped away again.

Rather than lowering the back of the truck Santana just opened the upper half of the back, the plastic tarp instead. She parted it and climbed over and down the wooden slatted gate like a ladder before dropping herself to the floor.

CJ kept still next to Rachel but let out a high pitched long whine "It's okay girl" Rachel told the German shepherd as she patted her head "She'll be back, like she said she would"

.

"Hey" Santana startled the driver and her girlfriend, the first of which was getting over the words said girlfriend had just uttered so closely to her ear "You okay Q" she asked noticing her flushed face... she waved it off "Whatever... are we re fuelling or what?"

"Oh, yeah" Quinn finally tore herself from the steering wheel and reached for the door handle. She took her shot gun with her "Britt, you keep Beth in here safe, okay?"

"Okay, but don't forget what I said" Brittany told her with a seriousness that was still adorable.

Oh she wouldn't forget what Brittany said anytime soon. The slamming of car doors snapped Quinn's attention back on the task at hand. At the gas pumps opposite the ones Quinn had parked alongside, Puck and Mike had parked the truck and army vehicle.

"We need to activate the pumps... the controls are inside" Santana told them... the last few times they'd refuelled it was in the day time, but the light had faded fast, the horizon just glowed orange from the sun that had just sunk behind it.

The four members of the group out of the vehicles looked over to the small building that housed the cash register and controls for the pumps "We don't even know if there's any electricity here" Quinn pointed out, as she looked above them at the out forecourt lights.

"Well we've got to try" they wouldn't get anywhere without the cars "I'll go" Santana volunteered as she flicked the safety off on her rifle. Without further warning she started toward the kiosk building. Stalking closer towards the one story blacked out building, Santana felt her heart in her throat-

"San wait" Quinn jogged up behind her "I'll go too"

"No stay, be ready to fill the tank"

"You don't know what's in there" she said lowly

"Come on!" Puck yelled from across the forecourt, he didn't like standing around in the dark... then again none of them wanted to stand around in the failing light

Santana cringed at the raised voice. She slowly turned back to glare at Puck and hiss "Shut up". She then looked back to the girl next to her "Just be ready, if there's anything in there... well there won't be in a minute"

"Be careful S"

"Well duh"

"Sorry but I don't think I can deal with Berry if something happened to you"

"Whatever Q, you'd just miss me" she smirked, with fake confidence as she strutted away again. Quinn watched as she kicked the door in and held her rifle poised for fire.

.

"Blaine?" Rachel didn't mean to whimper but as she spoke she moved and it pulled at her side, and the pulling at her side made her move her arm, only making that sting too.

His head shot straight to her "You okay?" he asked immediately, ready to help her if he needed to despite his other half still laying, unmoving next to him.

Rachel smiled softly, and with sympathy at him, for his caring heart "I'm fine... I was just going to ask how you were"

"Well" he sighed as he gazed back over Kurt "I could be better"

"Yeah... I could have guessed that" Rachel muttered "I'm so sorry Blaine" when the dark haired boy looked up at her in confusion "For everything that's happened"

"Rachel" he scoffed as he leant back against the edge of the truck "The end of the world isn't your fault and what happened in that Hangar wasn't either... you got shot too"

"Yeah but..." she shrugged lightly "Sorry, I can't think straight right now, I've just got Finn in my head... that scene over and over again"

The reminder of Finn and his end only a few hours before reminded Blaine of something he heard him say when they were patching up Kurt... Blaine surprised himself though, he didn't imagine he'd remember anything from that moment than Kurt "You know before he got... yeah, before that he kept talking about something, something in the warehouse that made him shoot. He said he could hear clicking, tapping and something brushed his leg" he then let out a long dismissive sigh "I guess it doesn't matter now, he's gone, so-"

"Clicking?" Rachel asked again, with a furrowed brow, trying to solve the mystery

"Yeah, he said like he could hear something clicking round him, getting closer then getting further away" Blaine hugged his knees to him with one arm while the other carefully ran though Kurt's hair... even though he knew Kurt hated having his hair messed up. "It couldn't have been a Z" he looked back at Rachel "If it had been one of those things then it would have attacked Finn"

"Yeah even in the dark I'm sure it would have heard Finn" Rachel's brow was still furrowed "And it brushed his leg?"

"Yeah" Blaine nodded again "What are you thinking?"

"Um" she hesitated before looking to her left and the dog curled up who sat there "Maybe it was CJ" at the mention of the name her newest master had given her she opened her eyes again, but still kept her head down "her claws might have made a clicking on the concrete floor" she then looked back to Blaine and rushed an excuse for her newest friend "But it was an accident, its not like she meant to-"

"I know" he hushed her "Finn just panicked... if anyone was at fault he was" he grounded out bitterly. The look in his eye suddenly softened as he heard himself "I'm sorry, I shouldn't speak ill of the dead"

"No" Rachel muttered her agreement "But we're all thinking it... he almost got us all killed at some point and now Kurt" the boys name caught in her throat"

"And you" Blaine added with a soft smile "Thanks Rachel"

"For what?" she huffed a humourless laugh

"For getting us this far... you've saved us"

"Not everyone" she added sadly. Normally Rachel lived for praise and applause but lately there was too much going on around them for her to be the hopeful girl, the optimist. "Mr Schue... Miss Pillsbury, Mercedes... and now Finn. I didn't save everyone did I?"

"No" he said sadly "But you got the rest of us here. Don't be so harsh on yourself Rach, you're still our hero"

"Maybe I was good at all this at the start but... not lately. Santana's my hero" she muttered the last part with a small smile gracing her lips

"You should tell her that" he chuckled "Though it might go to her head" Rachel chuckled lightly too before wincing again and holding her side. "Sorry" the boy muttered, feeling guilty for making her laugh.

"Don't apologise for making me laugh" she told him "it feels good to be happy even if it's just for a moment" her own gaze fell onto Kurt again and she just smiled sympathetically "How is he?"

"Better" Blaine nodded "I know you might think I'm crazy but I know he's better, he's not burning up, and he's not in a cold sweat anymore" those were all good signs, Blaine hoped.

"That does sound like good news" Rachel quickly agreed to ease Blaine, if anything else.

What didn't sound like good news was the gun shot echoing outside.

.

"Holy shit Sam!" Santana breathed shakily. She was behind the counter still trying to figure out how to turn the gas pumps on when the boy appeared in the doorway and shot something in the dark. After the gun shot they'd heard a heavy thud as if something had dropped to the floor.

"Didn't you see it San, it was standing right there"

"No I fucking didn't" Santana was more than a little shaken now, she didn't even notice the thing standing in the corner of the room when she'd walked in. suddenly she feared the dark a hell of a lot more, for anything could be lurking in it

"Well I got it now" as he finished those few words the lights came on. Santana just stepped away from the cash register and looked around at the trashed gas station kiosk. From where she stood she couldn't see whoever... whatever Sam had shot. "Tina found fuse box on the side of the building... it was a long shot but I guess it worked" he explained.

"Right" Santana just nodded, trying to hide her nerves

"There will be some keys on the cash register to authorise the use of the pumps" he told her as he turned in the door way, so he could keep an eye out on the forecourt too. When he glanced back at the Latina he saw the confused and intrigued expression she wore "I worked at a gas station last summer, they're all pretty much the same" he quickly explained "You found it yet?"

"Um" she looked down, the small illuminated screen had only just come to life and it was letting her know three of the pumps wanted to be used, so she could authorise them. As soon as she hit the buttons they heard the hum of the motors coming to life.

Happy with her work Santana could now leave. But net before she chanced a glance at what had been lurking in the corner when she'd walked in... a teenage boy, about the same age as them. Maybe he worked here, maybe he had a car and was paying for gas when the area was hit... there weren't any other cars on the forecourt though... it didn't really matter.

With the area looking secure Sam decided to head back to the jeep and Artie, he walked back with Tina who'd also been determined enough to be useful, seeing as she was the only one left with no prior commitments.

If Sam was being honest, he was still shaken from earlier but he couldn't share that with anyone. It was all so stupid and pointless though, to hide their fears and nervousness, they were all feeling the same way. And they all felt that had people relying on them, but the truth was they were a team, a family, who all needed each other. There weren't any superior members... well except Rachel but her injury right now had her out of action, other than that they were truly equal.

.

Blaine and Rachel had to wait, focusing their ears on the outside world, to find out what the gun shot was all about... and if anyone was hurt.

Rachel just hoped and prayed to hear Santana's voice... but she didn't... then again she wasn't hearing any panicked emotion, or was that because they didn't want to panic Rachel. They heard the slamming of doors and then the rumble of awakened engines. But where was Santana.

Rachel could finally breathe again when Santana's head appeared over the back of the truck and her girl climbed back into the safety of the truck.

"I'm back" Santana pointed out the obvious as she walked the length of the truck back to her place next to Rachel. She flicked the safety back on, on the rifle and propped it up in the corner again

"Like you said you would be" Rachel said lightly, the relief in her voice really obvious.

"Exactly" she kissed Rachel quickly "I'm not going anywhere as long as I have you"

Rachel just laughed lightly at how soft the other girl could be when she wanted to. "What was the commotion out there? We were worried when we heard a gunshot"

"Actually I'm sure Rachel was more worried than me Santana" Blaine added lightly "Not that I don't care but... well you know" he left the conversation there, kinda feeling awkward for interrupting, and returned all his attention back to Kurt.

The two girls were quiet for a moment, in respect for Kurt before they cuddled up again. Santana reached a little further to pet CJ "Thanks for looking after her CJ" they heard the thumping of the dogs tail on the truck bed in response, making all conscious humans in the truck smile. "We were just re-fuelling"

"Yeah we figured that from the smell" Santana could agree with that, as soon as they'd started pumping the gas they could smell the diesel and petrol

"Oh right, well I went into the booth to switch the machines on, Sam shot something in the dark, everyone fine" Santana tried to let it sound not like a big deal

"Wait you didn't see something that could have killed you!"

"it was really dark in there" she tried to excuse quickly.

"Don't ever do that again" Rachel warned poutily

"I won't, don't worry I learnt my lesson" Santana reassured her as she wrapped her arm securely round Rachel's back.

Rachel felt the truck move away smoothly, knowing they were on the move again was comforting, keeping still made her feel like they were sitting targets now.

"Santana you're my hero" Rachel sighed contently as she tucked her head under Santana's. She half just wanted Santana to know how she felt, and half wanted to know how she'd react after what Rachel had talked about with Blaine.

"Don't say that" Santana just rejected the compliment

"But you are, I don't know how I would have survived, how _we all_ would have survived without you" she was about to let her eyes drift shut and wait for her sleep to reclaim her when she felt Santana start to tense up

"I didn't do anything Rach" she muttered, almost self pityingly.

She cautiously pulled her head off Santana's shoulder to look at the girl properly "You've done so much, you've been here for me every step of the way, you sacrificed yourself at the hospital, you- you helped with Mercedes"

"No I didn't"

"No you did-"

"No, with Mercedes, I didn't..." she trailed off. She couldn't meet her girlfriend's eyes.

"Tana, what's wrong?" oh why did she have to use that shortened version of her name? Santana didn't know why but that was the one that she loved to hear Rachel use... maybe because no one else had before Rachel had.

"I-I didn't finish Mercedes, she asked me to but I couldn't" she swallowed guiltily, she even tried to pull away from Rachel but the shorter girl grasped Santana's free right hand with her own and rubbed her thumb over the taller girls knuckles "She gave me her gun and I just stared at her pleading eyes. She wanted me to put her out of her misery, but I just couldn't, I watched her bleed out instead... I deserved to see that, to remember that, she didn't deserve to suffer, I was just being a coward" she let out a shaky breath though. It was just really, she would suffer with that in her memory, the same with Finn too.

"B-but Sam and I we heard the shot" Rachel couldn't understand it.

"I just fired it after she was dead, just at a bag of dog food that was on the opposite shelf... I'm so weak" she definitely sounded weak when she said that. Rachel just wanted to wrap her up and put her somewhere safe.

"You're not weak Santana, just human" she bought the hand she was still holding up to her mouth and kissed the knuckles softly. If she wasn't in any pain she would have stretched up and kissed Santana's soft lips instead "You should have told me before, though"

"What difference would it have made?"

"I would have... I don't know... I would have been able to share with you, comfort you... just know what was going through your head"

"I don't want to ever burden you with things like that" not the way she was burdening herself.

"I'm your girlfriend now Santana" okay the use of the world girlfriend was helping "you'll have to learn that I'll always be here for you and you need to share things with me, everything with me"

"But-"

"No, I know you don't want to accept it" Rachel cut her off quickly "but you have to. I'll always be here for you"

"Fine" Santana let out a big sigh. They could always revisit this discussion when Rachel was better anyway... although a healthier Rachel Berry would just be even more head strong. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Santana uttered one more word "Yellow"

"What?" the brunette furrowed her brow, completely lost to what Santana was getting at now.

"Yellow is my favourite colour" those simple words, to the simple question made Rachel almost grin. And she would have if she wasn't so tired right now "It was the colour of the cardigan you were wearing the day I realised I was crushing on you"

"Thank you" Rachel smiled

"For what?"

"For answering the question... for choosing me and... Oh, I just love you" that earned her a full kiss on the lips, one she didn't even have to stretch for as it was all Santana... all her girls doing

"I love you too" Santana said back gently, as she kept her forehead pressed against Rachel's

"You guys are so sweet" they pulled away to see Blaine watching them. With a glare from Santana and a shy smile from Rachel he quickly turned his attention away again with a muttered "Sorry"

It didn't take long for Rachel to relax, cuddled up against her girlfriend again, her snoozing dog companion, snoring loudly, still curled up on the other side of her.

"Is it me or is Quinn's driving getting better?" the shorter brunette asked, realising the ride had been smooth since they'd left the gas station

"Brittany's driving" Santana told her abruptly.

"Oh... that explains it then" Rachel chuckled awkwardly. Quinn wasn't a bad driver, she just wasn't used to driving a vehicle with a manual gear box, so she'd grind the ears occasionally.

Someone coughing then a very weakly muttered "Blaine?" got Santana and Rachel's attention. They both looked straight to the pale boy still lying down, in time to see his head turn skyward and his eyes flutter open in the still darkening compartment.

* * *

><p><strong>Again, I am so very sorry its been so long, I swear I am not abandoning this story, in fact I now have a complete plan from here to the ending, so it will get finished.<strong>

**Let me know what you think...**


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